According to police data released Tuesday, nearly three people were murdered per hour in South Africa during the first three months of the year.

Between January and March, police documented 6,289 persons killed in the country, which has one of the highest murder rates in the world, an increase of 3.4% over the same period last year.

However, Police Minister Bheki Cele, who has long been chastised for widespread crime, stated that the overall picture was better.

PHOTO | COURTESY murder rates skyrocket in south Africa

"We are gradually regaining ground from criminals," Cele said at a press conference, noting that child killings were down 20%.

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Rapes have also decreased marginally by 2.8%. However, more than 10,500 incidents were reported in the first quarter of this year.

However, Cele reported a "stubborn increase" in cash-in-transit robberies of more than 20%, with 64 occurrences reported.

Robberies, assaults, and attempted murders were also on the rise.

The Democratic Alliance, the main opposition party, repeated its calls for Cele's dismissal, claiming that crime was "spiralling out of control."

According to the party, the latest data "paint a bloody picture of violence tearing away at our social fabric while our citizens cower in fear in their own homes."