More than 6,000 people were killed in South Africa from January to March this year, an increase of 3.4% compared to the same period last year, an official source announced.

According to data made public this Monday by the South African Minister of Police, Bheki Cele, most of the killings were recorded in the provinces of KwaZulu-Natal, Eastern Cape and Gauteng.

According to Bheki Cele, many victims were killed using firearms, knives, sharp and blunt instruments.

There is also concern about the number of cases of assaults on vehicles carrying valuables, robberies, assaults, and attempted murders.

Although South Africa has one of the highest homicide rates in the world, Minister Cele says there are signs of improvement in people safety.

Bheke Cele who was presenting the crime statistics for the quarter, points to the decrease in the number of rapes, by about 3 %, and child murders, by 20%, to justify the gains in police performance.

This Ministry again calls on the government and all of society to join in this fight. We call again on the government, at all levels, to support community policing efforts. Without community participation, the police will never win the war on crime," he said. (RM)