By Thapelo Molefe
South Africa recorded a significant drop in murders in the second quarter of the 2025/26 financial year, with the South African Police Service (SAPS) reporting 751 fewer killings between July and September.
The national murder tally fell from 6,545 to 5,794, an 11.5% decrease, reflecting one of the sharpest quarterly reductions in recent years.
The statistics were released on Friday.
Despite the improvement, Police Minister Professor Firoz Kachalia cautioned against complacency, saying: “One murder is, of course, too many… but murder has started to decrease significantly, and that gives me some hope.”
He said that while violent crime trends are moving in the right direction, overall levels remain “unacceptably high”.
Data presented by Major General Thulare Sekhukhune, head of the SAPS Crime Registrar on Friday during the release of the statistics, shows that the Western Cape and Northern Cape were the only provinces to record increases, with the Western Cape contributing 97 additional murders.
All other provinces recorded declines, with Limpopo maintaining the lowest murder rate per capita at three per 100,000 people.
The country’s most affected police precincts remain heavily concentrated in the Western Cape.
Mfuleni, Kraaifontein and Delft occupy the top three positions nationally, followed by Gugulethu in fifth place. Only one Gauteng station, GP (Germiston Precinct), disrupts the Western Cape dominance in the top five.
A sample analysis of 5,270 murder dockets reveals that everyday conflict remains the leading trigger. At least 956 murders stemmed from arguments, provocation or road-rage incidents.
Gang-related killings remain entrenched in the Western Cape, accounting for 293 of the 315 recorded gang murders. Robberies contributed 328 murders, while 50 law-enforcement officers and security guards were killed over the three-month period, 23 of whom were police officers.
Public spaces continue to be the deadliest locations, with 2,790 murders occurring in streets, parks and open areas.
A further 1,659 occurred at perpetrators’ residences, and 196 at liquor outlets. The quarter also recorded a series of multiple-murder incidents, including an 11-victim killing linked to illegal mining in Gauteng.
Kachalia told communities to re-engage in safety structures, saying South Africa can only sustain improvements if “government, civil society and businesses work together to build safer communities”.
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