The latest data shows that contact crimes and rapes are on the rise. (Photo by Darren Stewart/Gallo Images via Getty Images).
South Africa’s overall murder rate may have dropped slightly but rape and contact crimes are on the rise, with more women and children murdered and sexually assaulted during the first quarter of the 2024-25 financial year compared with the same period last year.
According to police crime statistics released on Friday, contact crimes — which include murder, robbery, sexual offences and assault — increased by 2.6% to 153 657 incidents in the first quarter running from April to June 2024 from the same period in 2023. Murder on its own dipped by 0.5% to 6 198. Sexual offences declined by 0.4% to 11 566.
Most of these crimes took place in residences (12 472), public places (9 725), liquor outlets (3 445), spaza shops (467) and educational institutions (259).
South Africa’s murder rate per capita is 10.1 per 100 000 people, while rape stands at 15.1 per 100 000 and assault with grievous bodily harm (GBH) is 61:100 000.
Four of the country’s nine provinces recorded increases in murder cases, with the highest being the Western Cape, followed by North West, the Eastern Cape and Limpopo. All of the top 30 stations for murder were in the Western Cape (11), KwaZulu-Natal (8), Eastern Cape (6) and Gauteng (5). The leading stations were Nyanga, followed by Inanda, Umlazi, Khayelitsha and Harare.
The top five causative factors for murder, attempted murder and assault GBH were arguments, misunderstandings, road rage and provocation; robbery, vigilantism/mob justice; gang-related; and retaliation/revenge punishment. The most frequently used weapon in committing murders were firearms, particularly in KwaZulu-Natal, Western Cape, Gauteng and the Eastern Cape, followed by knives and sharp objects.
Murders of women increased 7.9% to 966 during the first quarter, while attempted murders went up by 16% to 1 644, and assault GBH rose by 69% to 13 757 incidents. Similarly, murders of children climbed 7.2% to 314, attempted murder rose by 19.8% to 424 and assault GBH increased 11.5% to 1 596 incidents.
Sexual offences in general declined 0.4% to 11 566, but rapes rose 0.6% to 9 309, with most of them reported in Gauteng (1 921), KwaZulu-Natal (1 895), the Eastern Cape (1 466), and Western Cape (1 037).
There were 91 rapes and 12 murders reported at educational facilities, including schools, universities, colleges and day care facilities, across the country, of which 74 rapes and nine murders occurred on school premises although not all the victims were learners.
Of the 3 494 kidnappings reported, criminals demanded a ransom in 135 cases, while 30 involved extortion and eight were identified as cases of human trafficking, police crime registrar Major General Thulare Sekhukhune told reporters during the release of the statistics .
Carjacking and robbery at residential and non-residential premises declined 2.7% to 15 230. There were 5 438 carjackings, 5 642 residential robberies and 4 151 non-residential robberies. The number of cash in transit cases dropped 24% to 36, while truck hijackings slid 70% to 429 incidents.
Police Minister Senzo Mchunu said these statistics told a “sobering story” about the severity of the problems the country faces.
“These numbers represent more than just figures on a page, they reflect the lived realities of our citizens — their fears, their losses, and their hopes for a safer tomorrow. The data is a stark reminder of the urgent need for action,” he said.
“We are confronted with a crisis that threatens the safety of our communities and undermines the stability of our nation. Contact crimes in particular are wreaking havoc and instilling fear. This is unacceptable, and we must confront this challenge with unwavering resolve and strategic precision.”
Mchunu said the most worrying crimes are murder, rape, hijacking, kidnapping for ransom payments and extortion. The ministry’s priorities include the “number one priority” of bringing down crime levels, the professionalisation of the police service and uprooting of corruption, investment in technology and capacitation of the crime intelligence unit to provide better insights and strategic advantages in the fight against criminal networks, he added.
The minister undertook to collaborate with sister departments — including the department of social development, justice, correctional services and basic education — in the fight against crime.
“Together, we will map out areas of cooperation, implementing a whole-of-government and whole-of-society approach to tackle the root causes of crime and build safer communities,” he said, adding that the police would sign a crime fighting cooperation agreement with the Western Cape government and the City of Cape Town on Friday.
“We will be implementing this model throughout the country. We will not rest until every South African can walk the streets without fear.”