Crime stats show a general decrease, but murder statistics for coastal areas remain a concern

Serious crime in the country, including the number of murders, decreased by 0.9% in the first quarter of the 2024/25 financial period but murders remained a problem in coastal provinces.

Minister of police Senzo Mchunu, national police commissioner Gen Fannie Masemola and other commissioners, including Maj-Gen Thulare Sekhukhune, presented the crime statistics for the quarter on Friday.

Between April and June there were 3,491 fewer reported cases of serious crime, said Sekhukhune.

While Gauteng had the highest number of reported cases, it saw a significant decrease in most crimes.  However, there were an additional 1,921 cases of rape, an additional 79 attempted sexual offences committed, 2,072 more reported cases of robbery in residential areas and 42 more cases of truck jacking.

Gauteng saw a 4.5% decrease in crimes compared to the same period in the previous year, slightly behind the Northern Cape, which recorded a 4.8% drop in reported crimes.

Murder, which often remained the top crime, was down 0.5% with 30 fewer murders reported compared to the same period in the previous year. KwaZulu-Natal experienced the largest decrease with 129 fewer cases, followed by Gauteng with 109 fewer reported murder cases.

Despite this, the murder per capita rate remained high in coastal provinces such as the Eastern Cape, Western Cape and KwaZulu-Natal.

The stats showed that 17.6 people per 100,000 were murdered in the Eastern Cape. The figures for the Western Cape and KwaZulu-Natal were 15.3 and 12.3, respectively.

The Eastern Cape saw a 2.6% increase in murders, reported, from 1,139 to 1,169 — an increase of 30 cases.

One of the most common causes for murders was arguments and misunderstandings, said Sekhukhune.

The Eastern Cape led with murders due to arguments and misunderstandings, recording 254 cases. It was followed by KwaZulu-Natal with 215 and the Western Cape with 210 cases.

Mchunu provided details of a mass shooting in the Eastern Cape reported to the Willowvale police station in May.

“Occupants of a vehicle, five males including a child and one female, were shot dead in a Mazda 3 vehicle. These are indeed disturbing incidents which we need to ensure do not happen again.

“When we look at the causative factors for cases with five and more counts, a murder was reported in Ezakheni police station, in KZN, where 12 people were travelling in a bakkie when another vehicle approached and its occupants opened fire at the bakkie. Six succumbed to their injuries, four were injured and taken to hospital and two were unharmed,” said Mchunu.

While 210 murders in the Western Cape were due to altercations, a higher number — 234 — were a result of gang-related killings. The province also experienced the highest number of murders — 172 — due to revenge and punishment.

A total of 694 murders in the province occurred in open places. While firearms were the most used method of committing a murder, the Western Cape was second to KwaZulu-Natal with 655 murders committed through the use of a firearm, with KwaZulu-Natal recording 746 murders committed by firearm.

KwaZulu-Natal had the third highest record of murders committed with knives with 175 cases, but this was behind the Western Cape with 181 and the Eastern Cape leading with 209 murders being committed through the use of knives.

The Western Cape also led when it came to gang-related murders, with 234 cases, far higher than the 13 gang-related murders in the Eastern Cape.

KwaZulu-Natal recorded 70 murders due to robberies, with 50 taking place in liquor outlets.

Mchunu said the police ministry required a holistic approach to combating crime. This included collaborating with the departments of social development, justice and correctional services and basic education.

“Together we will map out areas of co-operation, implementing a whole-of-government and whole-of-society approach to tackle the root cause of crime and build safer communities.”

He said a co-operative agreement was to be signed on Friday with the Western Cape government and the City of Cape Town, outlining a shared commitment to fighting crime and building a safer environment for all residents of Cape Town and the Western Cape. “We will be implementing this model throughout the country,” he said.

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