South Africa's murder rate has increased by 6.9%.
In real numbers, this means that 1 320 more people have been murdered in South Africa in the past year.
The number for the previous financial year was 19 016. This number has increased to 20 336.
That means, on average, 57 people are killed in SA every day.
More women and children murdered
The murder of women and children has also increased. In the past year, 291 more women, 117 more boys and 29 more girls were murdered.
Major-General Norman Sekhukhune, head of police crime research and statistics, on Tuesday released the 2017/18 crime statistics to the Portfolio Committee on Police in Parliament. The stats cover the period 1 April 2017 to 31 March 2018.
According to Sekhukhune, in some instances murders are multiple murders, particularly in the Western Cape where gang crimes are high. Sekhukhune said there were 808 gang-related murders in the Western Cape, and 87 in the Eastern Cape.
Seven of the top 10 police stations for murder cases are in the Western Cape, which tops other provinces for gang-related murders.
Gauteng has the most taxi-related murders. Gauteng also tops mob-justice murders, followed by the Western Cape and KwaZulu-Natal.
Farm murders
Sixty-two crimes categorised as farm murders were reported: 12 in Gauteng, nine each in Limpopo and North West, eight each in Mpumalanga and the Free State, seven in KwaZulu-Natal, and three each in the Eastern Cape, Northern Cape and Western Cape.
Sekhukhune said police killings also contribute to murder statistics - the highest number of officials killed at once was in the Ngcobo police station massacre earlier this year.
Firearms top murder weapons
Sekhukhune said firearms were the most-used weapons in most instances to commit murders, and that one firearm could be used in more than one incident to commit murder.
Firearms are used in almost half of all murders. This is followed by knives, sharp instruments, other unknown items, stones or bricks followed by bare hands.
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