Overview
- SAPS reported 5,794 murders in July–September 2025, 751 fewer than a year earlier for an 11.5% decline, following a 6.9% drop in April–June.
- Despite the decrease, killings still average about 63 a day nationwide, with arguments and robberies cited as leading drivers.
- Sexual offences rose slightly by 22 cases to 12,787, even as overall contact crimes declined by 4,999 cases compared with the prior period.
- Of 315 gang-related murders nationally in the latest quarter, 293 occurred in the Western Cape, while Cape Town’s LEAP deployments reported a 9.4% murder reduction in six focus areas versus a 9.1% rise elsewhere in the province.
- Acting minister Firoz Cachalia framed the delayed release as part of an integrity reset, urging follow-the-money probes via the Madlanga Commission and the parliamentary inquiry alongside intensified Operation Shanela deployments.