Murder and violent crime continued to decline during the third quarter of the 2024/2025 financial year, with 602 fewer lives lost, representing an 8.7% decrease compared to the same period last year.
Police data shows a broader downward trend over time. Over the past two years, murders recorded during the same quarter have dropped by 17.6%, amounting to 1,359 fewer deaths.
Contact crimes also showed improvement during the reporting period. The South African Police Service recorded 12,682 fewer cases, a 6.7% decrease compared to the same quarter in the previous year.
The latest crime statistics were released by Acting Minister of Police Firoz Cachalia, who said the decline is encouraging but cautioned against interpreting it as a sign that people feel safer.
Cachalia noted that while crime figures are moving in the right direction, public perception remains a serious concern. He said the reduction in recorded cases does not automatically translate into a lived sense of security for individuals, families and communities.
Provincial data shows uneven progress. Five provinces, KwaZulu-Natal, Gauteng, Mpumalanga, Free State and North West, recorded double-digit reductions in murder cases.
Smaller declines were reported in the Western Cape and Eastern Cape, while Limpopo and the Northern Cape recorded slight increases during the same period.
Cachalia emphasised that violent crime remains concentrated in specific hotspots. He said only half of the country’s 30 highest murder precincts showed decreases, while gang-related killings in parts of the Eastern and Western Cape remain particularly high.
The minister also raised concern about the continued killing of police officers. According to SAPS figures, nearly 80% of the 23 officers who lost their lives during the period were off duty.
He said investigations would be conducted to determine the circumstances surrounding the deaths and to identify measures that could help prevent similar incidents in the future.
