Johannesburg 'safer than Cape Town'
2012-01-17 08:33
Jody Nel, Beeld
Pretoria - Cape Town, Durban and Port Elizabeth are more dangerous than Johannesburg, according to a new study from a Mexican research group.
Cape Town is the 34th most dangerous place in the world and Johannesburg is 50th.
Durban and Port Elizabeth are also more dangerous than Johannesburg, according to the report released by the Mexican research group Seguridad, Justicia y Paz (Security, Justice and Peace).
The group compiles an annual list of the 50 most dangerous cities in the world.
Cities are listed according to how many murders are committed per 100 000 residents.
The researchers look only at cities with more than 300 000 residents where statistics on murders are available.
Most dangerous cities in the Americas
Johannesburg is last on the list, with 30.50 murders per 100 000 residents.
Durban made the 49th spot with 30.54 murders per 100 000 residents.
Port Elizabeth had 36 murders per 100 000 residents making it 41st, while Cape Town, with 46 murders per 100 000 residents, came in at 34th.
The cities in the top 33 spots were all in North and South America.
Cape Town is therefore the most dangerous city in the world outside of the Americas, according to the report.
San Pedro Sula in Honduras is the most dangerous city in the world, with 159 murders per 100 000 residents.
Juárez in Mexico is second on the list and Maceió in Brazil is third.
There are 14 Brazilian cities on the list and 12 Mexican cities.
Dangerous US cities listed in the report are New Orleans, Detroit, St Louis and Baltimore, which were 21st, 30th, 43rd and 48th on the list respectively.
According to the group, the actual murder statistics in countries such as Mexico are possibly higher than reported, as local governments often manipulate the actual murder rate.
http://www.news24.com/SouthAfrica/News/Johannesburg-safer-than-Cape-Town-20120117
