SA violent crime down, but still unacceptably high, Cachalia says

Most violent crime in South Africa continued to decrease in the third quarter of the current financial year covering the three months from 1 October to 31 December 2025, but was still too high, acting police minister Firoz Cachalia said on Friday.

Presenting the latest quarterly crime statistics, Cachalia also highlighted the need to tackle organised crime, which President Cyril Ramaphosa singled out as “the most immediate threat to our democracy, our society and economic development” in his State of the Nation address last week.

Cachalia said the sense of cautious optimism in relation to overall national crime trends that he had referred to in his previous briefing last year remained.

“Most violent crime categories, including murder, rape, robbery and most property related crimes like theft and burglary continued to decrease, but remain at unacceptably high levels,” he said.

After more than a decade of annual increases, murder, the most accurate crime statistic, had started decreasing in the first quarter of 2023-24, he noted. This trend had continued throughout the current financial year, with the third quarter showing a 8.7% decrease or 602 fewer lives lost. 

“This means that over the past two years, the numbers of murders for the (third) quarter …  had dropped by 17.6% or 1 359 fewer murders,” Cachalia said.

Total contact crime — made up of all categories of violent crime — decreased in the quarter, with violent crime falling by 6.7% or 12 682 fewer cases reported to the South African Police Service (SAPS) compared with the same quarter in the previous financial year.

“Over the past two years, total violent crime for this quarter is down by 8.3% or 15 763 fewer cases. This trend may well be attributable to enhanced policing operations,” the acting police minister said.

Sexual offences were also down in the third quarter compared with the same period in the previous financial year, with rape down 3.2% to 11 430.

Across South Africa, most communities recorded a decrease in violent and property crimes, but there were still too many that saw increases. While there were double digit reductions in murder in KwaZulu-Natal, Gauteng, Mpumalanga, Free State and the North West, much smaller decreases were recorded in the Western and Eastern Cape and  Limpopo and the Northern Cape saw increases.

“Out of the 30 highest murder precincts, decreases were recorded in only 15 of them. The killings relating to gang violence in the Eastern and Western Cape in particular, remain worrisomely high,” Cachalia said.

He said the police service was taking steps to strengthen efforts against gender-based and other forms of violence, including allocating an additional 999 police members to the detective services over the past year.

Cachalia acknowledged the revelations at the ongoing inquiries by the Madlanga Commission and parliament’s ad hoc committee that cartels had infiltrated the criminal justice system, leading to Ramaphosa establishing a dedicated task team to investigate implicated senior SAPS officials and Ekurhuleni local government officials.

Ramaphosa appointed Cachalia as acting police minister last year, after suspending Senzo Mchunu who has been implicated in the corruption and of political interference in policing, allegations he denies.

In his Sona last week, Ramaphosa said the State Security Agency would re-vet senior management within SAPS and metro police departments, including conducting lifestyle audits, and that the recommendations of the Madlanga commission would inform broader structural reforms.

“The SAPS top management echelon must consist only of experienced commanders of unquestionable integrity. We must establish an organisational culture characterised by professionalism, integrity and accountability throughout the organisation,” Cachalia said on Friday.

He noted that organised crime was “sophisticated, well-networked and enabled by professional lawyers and accountants” and said specialised capabilities for identifying individuals and networks were being strengthened.

“In the short-term where the effects of organised crime threaten lives and livelihoods such as gang violence and illegal mining, additional security resources will be enhanced by bolstering the anti-gang Units, deploying other specialised policing units and the SANDF (South African National Defence Force),” Cachalia said.

Ramaphosa last week announced the deployment of SANDF to support police operations in gang-affected areas in the Western Cape as well as helping tackle illegal mining in Gauteng.

“Much attention has been given to the deployment of the SANDF. Many communities are in support of this intervention, but some commentators have expressed concern.” Cachalia said.

“Let me be clear, this deployment is under-the command of the SAPS and in support of their operations in particular locations. Their role has been carefully defined to ensure area dominance and protection during high‑risk operations; support to cordon‑and‑search in dangerous zones; and protection of critical infrastructure and key routes. 

“It is timebound and aimed at stabilising situations where people are losing their lives on a daily basis.”