Dear Editor
Today’s release of the fourth quarter crime statistics for the 2024/25 financial year reveals some improvements, but confirms that far too many South Africans remain trapped in daily fear.
The Democratic Alliance (DA) remains committed to working with the South African Police Service (SAPS) to reduce violent crime, but it is increasingly clear that this will only be possible through devolved policing powers, enhanced crime intelligence, and localised enforcement partnerships.
We note and welcome the Minister of Police’s announcements that crime statistics will be broadened to reflect more rural crime categories, that new forensic laboratories will be established in key provinces, and that the national 90-day Gender-Based Violence and Femicide (GBV+F) Blitz began on 1 May 2025. The reactivation of the Inter-Ministerial Committee on GBV+F is also a step in the right direction.
However, these efforts will have limited impact without structural reform to the core institutions responsible for safety and justice.
Between January and March 2025:
- 5 727 people were murdered, an average of 62 per day
- 6 985 attempted murders were recorded, 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 were reported, 504 per day combined
- 5 671 incidents of stock theft were recorded, 61 per day
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. This is not due to a lack of enforcement capacity at local level, but rather the centralised control of investigative powers. Currently, 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 power to change this immediately. Under the SAPS Act, he can devolve investigative functions to competent municipal authorities via regulation. He has the legal authority.
The DA’s safety plan offers a practical, results-driven roadmap. It includes localised policing strategies that embed officers 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 SAPS to ensure every officer is trained, accountable, and properly resourced.
Regards
Ian Cameron MP
DA Spokesperson on Police