Reaction Unit South Africa is searching for three suspects who robbed a bus on Inanda Road, near Mount Vernon, KwaZulu-Natal, on Monday, 27 January 2025. The suspects allegedly robbed the driver and the passengers of the bus.
SUSPECTS ROB BUS
Speaking to Reaction Unit South Africa, the bus driver stated that the suspects boarded the bus in the Verulam CBD. When they were approaching Mount Vernon, three male suspects walked to the front of the bus, creating the impression that they were about to exit.
One of the men took out a gun and robbed the driver, conductor and passengers of their cellphones and cash, before fleeing the scene.
The officers are searching for the suspects and no arrests have been made.
SUSPECTS ROB TUCK SHOP IN KZN
In other KZN news, three suspects armed with firearms robbed a tuckshop in Buffelsdraai. The suspects forcefully entered the tuckshop and held up an employee who was sleeping on the premises on Sunday morning.
It is alleged that the robbers initially drilled a hole through the wall. They then climbed onto the roof and removed metal sheeting to gain access to the premises. They stole food items such as meat, packs of energy drinks, chocolates and keys before they fled the scene.
SOUTH AFRICAN CRIME LEVEL STATS
South Africa is one of the countries with the highest crime rates in the world. In 2024, a report indicated that the country has the 5th highest crime rate, with a 75.5% crime rate. It is alleged that factors such as poverty, unemployment, inequality, social exclusion and the normalisation of crime.
The country also has one of the highest rates of rape cases in the world.
MOST COMMON CRIME IN SOUTH AFRICA
Personal property theft is the most common crime in the country. Approximately 1.4 million incidents of personal property theft occurred in 2023/2024.
The second most common crime in South Africa is street robbery. More than 440 000 individuals are reported to have been victims of street robbery. Twenty-four per cent of those individuals were physically assaulted. The victims said that a knife was the most used weapon in the incidents.
Most females reported that they felt unsafe walking alone at night when compared to males. The percentage of individuals who have done something to protect themselves against crime increased from 29.7% in 2022/23 to 39.9% in 2023/24.
POLICE MINISTRY IMPLEMENTS PROGRAMME TO REDUCE CRIME
Speaking to The South African, Minister of Police spokesperson Kamogelo Mogotsi, said that they have implemented measures to fight against crime.
“We have entered into cooperation agreements with all the metros in the country, which will see concerted crime-fighting efforts aligned with resources and information sharing.”
“We have also increased the number of boots on the ground, to ensure increased visibility. This is through our 10 000 intake programme,” she explained.
When asked about rural areas with no police stations, she said that the minister is looking at building more police stations.
“The minister is looking at building more police stations and also ensuring that at least satellite stations are there to be of service to the people,” she explained.
She said that they are currently awaiting feedback on the satellite stations.
Have you or your loved one been robbed before?
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