South Africa sees murder rate drop – but 58 people still killed daily
· The South African
South Africa recorded a 9.5% decrease in murders during the fourth quarter of the 2025/26 financial year, with 546 fewer people killed compared with the same period last year, Police Minister Firoz Cachalia announced on Friday.
Presenting crime statistics for the period between 1 January and 31 March 2026, Cachalia said murders dropped from 5 727 cases during the corresponding quarter last year to 5 181.
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Compared with the same quarter in 2024, murder cases declined by 1 355 – representing a 20.7% reduction.
Reliable indicator of violent crime
“Most strikingly, murder has decreased nationally by 9.5%,” Cachalia said, describing murder figures as one of the country’s most reliable indicators of violent crime.
The improvement formed part of a broader reduction in serious violent offences across the country.
According to the latest statistics, contact crimes – offences involving direct interaction between perpetrators and victims – declined by 4.6%, with 7 405 fewer cases reported than during the same period last year.
Significant decreases were also recorded in aggravated robbery categories. House robberies dropped by 20.4%, business robberies fell by 18.3%, while robberies at non-residential premises decreased by 22%.
Closer cooperation
Property-related crimes, including burglary and theft of and from motor vehicles, declined by 8.5%. Other serious offences such as general theft and shoplifting were also down by 4.2%.
Cachalia attributed the improvements partly to closer cooperation between police and communities in combating crime.
Despite the encouraging figures, the minister warned that South Africa’s crime levels remain alarmingly high.
The country still recorded an average of 58 murders a day during the quarter.
“A decrease in crime is not the same as achieving safety,” Cachalia said.
“Our goal is not just fewer crimes, but that communities are and feel safe everywhere.”
Worst provinces for murder
The statistics showed that Gauteng, the Western Cape, Eastern Cape and KwaZulu-Natal recorded notable declines in murders, although the four provinces still accounted for more than 80% of all murder cases nationwide.
Cachalia said government would continue strengthening policing reforms, tackling organised crime and expanding violence-prevention programmes aimed at addressing the social drivers of violent crime.
“These statistics provide us with guidance,” he said.
“Our task is to transform this decline in violent crime into a sustained, long-term reduction in violence and organised criminality across the country.”
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