Minister Firoz Cachalia: Release of first quarter crime statistics
Deputy Minister of Justice and Constitutional Development, Mr Andries Nel,
Acting National Commissioner of the South African Police Service, Lt.
General Puleng Dimpane,
Acting Head of the DPCI, Lt General Nkosi,
Acting Director-General: Civilian Secretariat for Police Service, Mr Ramaru,
Deputy National Commissioners present,
Provincial Commissioner of Gauteng, Lt General Mthombeni,
Provincial Commissioners connected virtually,
Representatives from IPID and PSiRA,
Mr Masilela, from the CPF National Board,
Mr Thobakgale from the South African Policing Union,
Ms Yandiswa Mpetsheni from Statistics SA,
Mr Fouché Burgers from Business Against Crime South Africa,
Major General Thulare Sekhukhune, the SAPS Crime Registrar,
Members of the media,
Ladies and gentlemen,
Good day to you all.
Today we present the crime statistics for the first quarter of the 2026/27 financial year. As we do every quarter, these figures provide an important picture of the safety and security environment in our country. More importantly, they help us understand where our interventions are working, where they require strengthening, and where we must focus our efforts in the months ahead.
Crime statistics are not merely numbers on a page. Behind every statistic is a victim, a grieving family, a traumatised community and, in far too many cases, a life that can never be replaced. We remain mindful that while statistics help us measure performance, our ultimate responsibility is to protect the people of South Africa and to restore their confidence in the ability of the State to keep them safe.
WHAT THE FIRST QUARTER CRIME STATISTICS TELL US
We have recorded notable decreases in several of the country's most serious contact crimes. Murder has declined, marking yet another consecutive quarter in which this crime has shown a downward trajectory. We have also seen significant reductions in crimes such as carjacking, residential robberies, business robberies and cash-in-transit robberies. Major General Sekhukhune will provide the figures. These improvements are not insignificant.
These are the crimes that create fear in our communities. Many are committed by organised, heavily armed criminal groups that operate with planning and sophistication. Others are interpersonal crimes, perpetrated by people known to their victims, reflecting deeper challenges within our social fabric and the breakdown of trust and relationships in communities. Seeing sustained declines across these categories demonstrates that intelligence-led policing, targeted operations and improved collaboration between law enforcement agencies are beginning to have an impact, while also underscoring the importance of broader social interventions to address the root causes of violence.
At the same time, we must remain honest with ourselves and with the South African public. While percentage decreases are encouraging, they do not erase the reality that far too many South Africans continue to lose their lives through violent crime. Every murder remains one too many. Every victim deserves justice.
We are also concerned about crime categories that have increased during the reporting period, particularly those affecting women, children and other vulnerable members of society. Gender-Based Violence and Femicide continues to demand urgent attention from every sector of society. The month of August is celebrated as “Women’s Month”. The protection of women and children and other vulnerable persons remains a national policing priority requiring sustained investment and prevention, victim support, investigation and prosecution; Deputy Minister Dr Boshielo is leading the National Gender-Based Violence and Femicide Action Plan on behalf of the Ministry.
The statistics also continue to confirm an important trend: crime is highly concentrated. A relatively small number of policing precincts account for a disproportionate amount of violent crime. This reinforces our commitment to deploying resources where they are needed most and ensuring that operational decisions are increasingly driven by crime intelligence and evidence rather than assumptions. These statistics therefore tell us two important things simultaneously: progress is possible, but our work is far from complete.
BUILDING MOMENTUM THROUGH THE POLICE MINMEC RESOLUTIONS
We recently convened the MinMEC, with Provincial MECs responsible for Community Safety, SAPS leadership and key policing stakeholders, to deliberate on the challenges confronting policing in South Africa. The discussions were frank, constructive and focused on practical solutions.
Among the key resolutions adopted was the need to strengthen coordination between national, provincial and local government, enhance intelligence capabilities, improve detective services, accelerate the fight against organised crime, extortion, illegal mining and gang-related violence, and ensure that resources are directed towards identified crime hotspots.
MinMEC also reaffirmed the importance of strengthening partnerships with municipalities, metropolitan police departments, community policing structures and other law enforcement agencies. Crime cannot be addressed in silos. Every sphere of government has a role to play, and we must all be aligned behind a common objective.
Further to this, MinMec resolved to prioritise interventions in 140 high-crime police station precincts across the country. These stations will receive, amongst others, targeted operational support, enhanced oversight, improved resource allocation.
These resolutions complement the work already underway and will serve as an important guide as we continue implementing interventions aimed at reducing violent crime across the country.
The senior leadership of the SAPS interrogates the crime picture every Monday looking at shifts, changes that can inform whether how we are using our resources is having an impact or not. That process has made one thing unmistakably clear. Alcohol is a primary driver of violence in this country.
The pattern is consistent and it is depressingly predictable. Violence concentrates over weekends. It concentrates at night. It concentrates in and around liquor outlets, many of them unlicensed and operating without any regard for regulation. A very substantial proportion of our murders and serious assaults involve people who were drinking, killing or injuring people they knew, often over trivial arguments.
This means that a meaningful portion of our murder rate is not the work of organised criminals or armed robbers. It is ordinary people, drunk, with access to a weapon. We cannot arrest our way out of that. It requires enforcement of liquor licensing, it requires by-law enforcement by municipalities, and it requires an honest national conversation about the place of alcohol in our society.
OPERATIONS
Our joint operations with the South African National Defence Force have continued through this quarter.
These operations are producing results in specific areas, and the figures I have quoted this morning reflect that. But I want to be careful not to overstate it. Sustained deployments hold ground; they do not by themselves transform a precinct. Where we withdraw without building permanent local capacity, the problem returns. That is the honest lesson over the years, and it is shaping how we plan the next phase.
These operations will continue. So will our work against organised crime — against extortion syndicates, against kidnapping networks, against illegal mining, and against gangsterism in the areas where it has effectively replaced the state.
ADVANCING THE SAPS RESET AGENDA
The statistics released today reinforce the importance of the SAPS Reset Agenda. The Reset Agenda is about rebuilding a modern, professional and community-centred police service that is intelligence-driven, ethical, responsive and accountable.
It is about improving the quality of investigations, strengthening crime intelligence, enhancing visible policing, investing in technology, supporting our detectives and ensuring that every police station delivers professional service to the communities it serves. But the Reset Agenda extends beyond the South African Police Service.
The South African Police Service is accelerating its modernisation agenda by embracing technology as a force multiplier to improve crime prevention, investigation and service delivery. Through its partnership with Business Against Crime South Africa, the SAPS is advancing a modernisation project aimed at strengthening digital capabilities at station level, improving operational efficiency and equipping members with technology that enables smarter, more responsive policing.
At the same time, the SAPS, in collaboration with the National Treasury, is exploring a range of sustainable funding models to support the upgrading and maintenance of police station infrastructure. These initiatives are intended to create safer, more functional police stations, enhance the working environment for members, and improve the quality of services provided to communities across the country. Detailed information on these initiatives will be communicated in due course.
Creating safer communities requires an all-of-society approach. Government alone cannot defeat crime. The police cannot be on every street corner, in every neighbourhood or inside every home. Sustainable crime prevention depends on active partnerships between law enforcement and the communities we serve.
Community Policing Forums, neighbourhood watches, traditional leaders, faith-based organisations, business, civil society and ordinary residents all have an indispensable role to play.
The recent arrests following the tragic shootings in Reiger Park demonstrate exactly what is possible when communities work with the police. Information provided by members of the public, together with swift investigative work by SAPS, enabled law enforcement to move quickly against those responsible. This is the type of partnership we seek to strengthen across the country.
When communities trust the police enough to share information, and when the police respond professionally and decisively, criminals lose the space within which they operate. That is the kind of policing South Africa deserves.
POLICE SAFETY: PROTECTING THOSE WHO PROTECT US
As we approach September, which is observed as Police Safety Month, we are reminded that policing remains one of the most dangerous professions in our country. Every police officer who leaves home to report for duty accepts risks that most South Africans will never fully appreciate.
The recent killing of two members of the Anti-Gang Unit (Constable Tlomatsane and Constable Sibeko) in Reiger Park has once again reminded us of the dangers faced daily by our law enforcement officers. This shooting also claimed the lives of two young women – Roleen Lessing and Jaydin Margerman.
We also mourn passing of Captain Zamani Mzayiya, a member of the Tactical Response Team, who was shot on Wednesday in Knysna while investigating the murder of a former Mayor and Councillor, Aubrey Tsengwa.
These attacks are not simply attacks on individual police officers. They are attacks on the rule of law. They are attacks on the authority of the democratic State. They are attacks on every South African who depends on law enforcement for protection.
The loss of even a single police officer is a loss to the entire nation. Behind every badge is a mother, a father, a son, a daughter, a husband, a wife, a friend and a colleague.
To the families of our fallen members, we extend our deepest condolences.
To the men and women in blue across South Africa, I want to say this: Your country sees your sacrifices. We recognise the difficult conditions under which you work. We appreciate your courage, your resilience and your unwavering commitment to protecting the people of South Africa. Continue to serve with integrity. Continue to uphold the Constitution. Continue to protect our communities with professionalism and compassion. Your work matters, and your service is valued.
UPCOMING LOCAL GOVERNMENT ELECTIONS
34. As the country prepares for the upcoming local government elections, it is important to acknowledge the violence that has, at times, targeted political office bearers. There have been incidents in which councillors and other political representatives have been the victims of violent crime, undermining democratic participation and creating fear within communities. Every such attack is an assault not only on an individual but also on the democratic institutions they serve. Law enforcement agencies remain committed to thoroughly investigating these cases, bringing those responsible to justice, and working with all stakeholders to ensure that the electoral environment is safe, secure and conducive to free and fair democratic participation.
CONCLUSION
Ladies and gentlemen,
The first quarter crime statistics demonstrate that we are making progress in several critical areas. They also remind us that significant challenges remain. There can be no complacency.
The SAPS Reset Agenda, together with the resolutions adopted at Police MinMEC, provide a clear direction for the work ahead. By strengthening intelligence, improving investigations, supporting our frontline officers, embracing innovation and building stronger partnerships with communities, we can continue driving crime in the right direction.
The South Africa we seek is one where children can walk safely to school, where businesses can operate without fear, where women feel secure in their homes and public spaces, and where every community has confidence in those entrusted with their protection.
That vision will not be achieved by government alone. It requires all hands on deck. Together—with communities, law enforcement agencies, civil society and every law-abiding South African—we can build a safer nation. We are not yet where we want to be, but we remain determined, united and focused on getting there.
I thank you.
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