CRIME STATS | 5,727 murders in first three months of the year

Between January and March the police registered 5,727 murders, police minister Senzo Mchunu said on Friday.

Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal, the Western Cape and Eastern Cape contributed the bulk of murders nationally.

The 10 police stations that recorded the most murders in order were:

• Inanda in eThekwini, KwaZulu-Natal;
• Delft, Mfuleni, Nyanga and Philippi East in Cape Town;
• Kwazakele in Gqeberha, Eastern Cape;
• Umlazi in eThekwini;
• New Brighton in Gqeberha;
• Kraaifontein in Cape Town, and;
• Ivory Park in Ekurhuleni, Gauteng.

“We do not deny levels of crime are high. We are very concerned. Crime cuts across all divides. We are adjusting our methods of fighting crime and adapting to the new trends and threats,” Mchunu said.

Among the worst 30 police stations for murder, 13 stations registered lower counts, and two stations recorded no change. Firearms remain the most frequently used instruments in the commission of murders, followed by knives.

During the quarter, 22 police officers were killed — six while on duty and 16 while off duty, with 10 of those in Gauteng.

Mchunu said the government is repositioning the police service to reduce the murder rate and target crimes. This includes:

• the proliferation of illegal firearms and tightening controls over legal firearms;
• fighting gender-based violence and femicide; and
• dismantling organised crime, including drug trafficking syndicates, cash-in-transit heists, extortion, kidnappings and taxi-related violence.

Mchunu said 178,757 suspects were arrested in the quarter.

He said 4,023 cases of illegal possession of firearms and ammunition were registered, a 2.7% increase compared to the same period last year. Police also seized 1,641 illegal firearms and 24,288 rounds of ammunition.

A new national policing policy was approved by the cabinet on May 15, Mchunu said. This intends to strengthen police service delivery to communities by ensuring professionalism and efficiencies in policing and is supported by a crime prevention strategy which seeks to address violence at its root causes.

“A number of enablers have been identified, which will be key in the fight against crime. Improving the efficiency of our forensic services is critical. To this end, we are increasing the number of laboratories throughout the country, and we are equipping them with state of the art equipment and technology. We will ensure there are labs in Mpumalanga and will extend to other provinces such as Limpopo and Free State.”

Other priority areas are:

• the adoption and improvement of technology to enhance detection, response and analysis;
• strengthening crime intelligence;
• capacitating and upskilling detectives; and
• improving conditions at police stations for better citizen experience and conducive working environments for officers.

DA MP Ian Cameron, who chairs the parliamentary portfolio committee on policing, said an average of 62 murders per day between January and March proved the need for more changes. There were also:

• 6,985 attempted murders, which equated to 75 per day;
• 43,776 assaults with intent to cause grievous bodily harm were reported (475 per day);
• 10,688 people were raped (116 per day);
• 4,571 kidnappings occurred (49 per day);
• 11,111 common robberies and 35,374 commercial crimes reported (504 per day combined); and
• 5,671 incidents of stock theft (61 per day).

Cameron called on Mchunu to approve devolved policing powers, enhanced crime intelligence and localised enforcement partnerships. He wants to see:

• officers embedded in the communities they serve;
• expanded forensic and intelligence capacity backed by technology and real-time data;
• specialised units focused on gang, drug, rural and GBV-related crime; and
• a complete overhaul of the police service to ensure staff are well-trained and properly resourced.

“These figures reveal a system in persistent crisis. The case of Cape Town provides a stark illustration: between 2021 and January 2025, city law enforcement officers seized 1,670 illegal firearms, yet only 81 convictions were secured — a mere 5% success rate,” he said.

“This is not due to a lack of enforcement capacity at local level but rather the centralised control of investigative powers. Municipal officers may arrest and confiscate weapons, but cannot build court-ready case dockets. That function is reserved for SAPS, where backlogs, skill shortages and delays continue to fail communities.

“The police minister has the legal powers to change this immediately. Under the SAPS Act, he can devolve investigative functions to competent municipal authorities via regulation.”

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