Acting Police Minister Firoz Cachalia released the long-awaited statistics covering April to September 2025. Between April and June, murders dropped by 6.9, followed by an 11.5 decrease from July to September. Despite the encouraging national trend, certain areas in the Western Cape, including Mfuleni, Delft, Gugulethu, and Kraaifontein, experienced sharp rises in killings.
During a Pretoria media briefing, Major General Thulare Sekhukhune outlined the figures, as quoted by Suid Kaap Forum : We start with the murder. In the current quarter two, we have recorded 751 fewer murders compared to the previous period. In the previous period, we had 6 545 currently, we are at 5 794, and the percentage reduction is 11.5.
Sekhukhune highlighted that arguments, misunderstandings, road rage, and provocation account for the majority of murders in the country. Attempted murders, however, rose by 2.7, with 7 255 cases recorded compared to 7 061 previously. Other crimes saw mixed trends: assault with grievous bodily harm dropped by 753, common assault increased by 381, common robbery fell by 363, and robbery with aggravating circumstances decreased by 3 689 counts. Overall, contact crimes fell by 4 999 cases.