KEY POINTS
- Contact crimes dropped, but commercial and drug-related offenses increased.
- Crimes against women and children remain a serious concern.
- Law enforcement efforts have led to key crime reductions.
In South Africa, contact crimes fell from 190,973 to 187,892 during the same time period in 2023. Additionally, property-related crime decreased, falling from 95,194 to 82,331.
Crime trends: Contact and property-related offenses decline
However, shoplifting grew to 9,833 occurrences, while commercial crime increased to 36,446. There was also an increase in drug-related crime, with 49,015 cases reported.
KwaZulu-Natal was the only province to see an increase in 17 community-reported major crimes during a three-month period, with 69,712 instances reported. Gauteng and the Western Cape, however, had decreases. In total, 411,600 cases in this category were reported. Mitchells Plain, Chatsworth, Mfuleni, Durban Central, and Cape Town Central were the nation’s most crime-ridden police stations.
KwaZulu-Natal had 33,015 contact crime incidences, Gauteng had 48,929, and the Western Cape had 32,169.
There were 26 murders, 149 attempted murders, and 116 assaults against law enforcement and security professionals in incidents involving murder, attempted murder, and assault. Shebeens, taverns, bars, nightclubs, and bottle shops were among the establishments that had 244 homicides and 347 attempted homicides.
With 961 recorded murders and 1,661 attempted murders, crimes against women and children continued to be of special concern. While Inanda registered 65 reported killings, Mfuleni, Delft, and Orange Farm were among the most murderous stations.
Crimes against women and children remain a major concern
The number of rape cases reported countrywide was 11,803, which was equally concerning. There were 1,353 instances in the Western Cape, 2,283 in KwaZulu-Natal, and 2,300 in Gauteng. With 91 reported rape crimes, Inanda topped the list of the top 30 police stations. Umlazi and Lusikisiki came in second and third, respectively, with 79 cases.
According to Iol, the highest number of carjackings occurred in Gauteng (2,567 occurrences), followed by KwaZulu-Natal (599 cases) and the Western Cape (694 cases). During that time, there were fifty carjacking incidents in Umlazi.
With 2,109 occurrences, Gauteng also had the highest number of home invasions, followed by KwaZulu-Natal with 1,519 and the Western Cape with 595. Once more, Inanda and Umlazi were among the most often targeted stations for home invasions.
Over the course of the three months, 4,379 incidences of kidnapping were reported. There were 2,401 instances in Gauteng, 783 in KwaZulu-Natal, and 238 in the Western Cape. In Gauteng, 148 of these cases involved ransom.
The communities of Umlazi and Inanda were advised by Aidan David, the head of the eThekwini district policing board, to report any suspicious activity to the local Community Policing Forum structures or law enforcement. He expressed alarm over KwaZulu-Natal’s criminals’ lack of care for women’s protection and human life, pointing out that many killings take place in public areas that are not monitored by CCTV.
