#CrimeStats | Three crime heroes from 2018

The latest crime stats are being revealed before Parliament by Police Minister Bheki Cele on Tuesday morning. They cover the financial year that ended in March 2018.

Cele was only appointed police minister in February 2018, meaning that the outcomes would be attributed to former police minister Fikile Mbalula.

As South African's brace themselves for the updated statistics on the state of crime in the country, some people have overshadowed the bad news for their heroic actions.

Here are just three heroes that made headlines in 2018.

Constable Luyolo Nojulumba

The metro police constable was hailed a hero after he caught a baby who was flung off the roof of a shack during a stand-off with police in April. A 38-year-old man climbed to the top of his shack in the Joe Slovo township in the Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality and threatened to throw his daughter off the structure if his house was demolished.

Former DJ saves shot cyclist

Jon-Jon Pietersen was driving around the Krugersdorp area on Joburg's West Rand when he heard shouts for help. It was then that he discovered a man lying on the ground. The cyclist had been shot twice and Pietersen got into action.

"I put my foot on the wound. I needed to do something. I put on gloves. I noticed blood coming out of his back. I saw a hole. I needed to apply pressure. I used my arm."

The cyclist was transported to hospital to receive treatment.

Man dies a hero in mosque attack

Abbas Essop was labelled a hero after he tried to help community members during the Verulam mosque attack in May. Essop was a mechanic who worked across the road when the incident occurred. When he tried to stop the attack on worshippers by three men, he became a victim. His mouth was duct-taped and his throat slit. He later died in hospital. 

You can follow the latest information on the crime stats here.