The Western Cape dominates the top five high-crime police stations, including Mfuleni, Nyanga, Delft, and Kraaifontein, reinforcing the province’s status as a key focus area for crime prevention efforts.
Acting police Minister, Firoz Cachalia, released on Friday,
the first and second quarters of the current financial year, from April to June
and from July to September 2025.
Categories that saw reductions includes murder, assault,
common robbery with aggravating circumstances, contact crime, rape and sexual
assault. This also includes carjacking, robbery at residential premises,
robbery at non-residential premises and cash-in-transit heists.
There has been a reduction in murder, in 2024, 6 545 cases
were reported while 5 794 cases were reported in 2025. Common assault in 2024,
42 721 cases were reported, in 2025, 41978 cases were reported (0.7 percent
reduction). Sexual assault, in 2024, 1839, in 2025, 1827 cases were reported
(0.7 percent reduction). Carjacking, in 2024, 5447 cases, in 2025, 4778 cases
were reported (12.3 percent reduction). Robbery at residential premises, in
2024, 5967 cases were reported, in 2025, 5103 cases were reported (14.5 percent
reduction). Robbery at non residential premises, in 2024, 3873 cases were
reported, in 2025, 3044 (21.4 percent reduction). Cash in transit, in 2024, 40
cases were reported, 2025, 24 cases were reported (16 counts lower)
COURTESY: SAPSCivil rights organisation, Action Society, is in the view
that the newly released crime statistics show that the fundamentals of policing
in South Africa are not working.
‘’ Action Society says no national disaster
declaration, awareness campaign or public statement will fix this crisis unless
the government restores basic capacity at the ground level. The organisation
warned that the country does not need new slogans but working systems, trained
officers and functioning forensic services,’’ said Juanita
Du Preez, Action Society spokesperson.
‘’The publication of these statistics was repeatedly
postponed, most likely due to the corruption scandal and investigations that
disrupted leadership and administrative processes within SAPS. Action Society
says the delays have further eroded public confidence and underscore the need
for functional, transparent systems that can deliver accurate data without
interference or instability,’’ she added.
Cape Town Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis says there is an urgent
need to up the conviction rate for gang, gun and drug crime given the high
levels of violent crime evident in the latest Quarterly Crime Stats. The Mayor
says the City is immediately ready to offer resources to help up conviction
rates.
‘’These latest crime stats make it clear that violent crime
continues to plague some of our most vulnerable communities, with gang activity
being a common denominator for Cape Town precincts in the top 30 stations
nationally for murder. We do take heart in the consecutive declines in murder
across both quarters in Nyanga, Philippi East, and Khayelitsha – these are all
areas where our LEAP officers are deployed to support SAPS.
‘’The stats also show encouraging rates of police activity
in confiscating illegal guns and drugs across most of these Cape Town precincts
in both quarters. But this police action is not backed by a strong conviction
rate. The City is also supporting these SAPS efforts by taking over 450 guns
off the streets per year, but the conviction rate is just 5% in these cases due
to the broken criminal justice system and under-resourced SAPS and NPA,’’ added
hill-Lewis.
Done By: Mitchum George
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