Acting Police Minister Firoz Cachalia released the fourth quarter crime statistics on Friday.
Image: GCIS
THE recently released South African Police Service (SAPS) crime statistics revealed that Chatsworth, Phoenix, and Verulam were among the top 30 police stations in the province with the highest number of reported serious crime cases.
Phoenix had the 9th highest number of serious crimes reported in the country and was 3rd in the province with a total of 1,612 cases. Chatsworth, which was 15th in the country and 5th in the province, had 1,463 cases. Verulam was 29th in the country and 10th in the province with 1, 277.
For contact crimes, which include murder, attempted murder, and all types of assault, Chatsworth ranked 18th in the country and 5th in the province with 679 cases, while Verulam ranked 28th in the country and 9th in the province with 584 cases.
Verulam was also among the top 30 stations with reports of murder. It placed 2nd in the province with 26 cases.
In respect of sexual offences, Verulam was 18th in the country and 7th in the province with 50 cases reported during that period. It was also 6th in the province with 41 rapes reported.
According to the statistics, among the top 30 stations with highest reported cases of common assault, Chatsworth ranked 1st in the province with 340 cases, while Phoenix was 3rd with 292 cases and Verulam was 7th with 213.
In respect to contact-related crimes, Phoenix ranked 10th in the country and 2nd in the province with 148 cases. Verulam was 4th in the province with 105 cases.
On Friday, Firoz Cachalia, the acting minister of police, released the crime statistics for the fourth quarter of the 2025/2026 financial year (January to March 2026).
He said the statistics presented were not just numbers, but a stark mirror held up to society.
Cachalia said while serious crime was down nationally, it still remained at an unacceptably high level.
“Violent crimes, referred to by the police as ‘contact crimes’- where there is direct contact between the perpetrator and victim- have declined by 4,6%. That means 7,405 fewer cases of violent crimes were reported compared to the same quarter last year. This trend started in 2024, with violent crime having dropped by 10,2% since then resulting in 17,440 fewer cases reported compared to this latest quarter.”
Cachalia said murder had decreased nationally by 9.5%.
He said in the same quarter last year, 5,727 people were murdered. That number has come down to 5,181.
“That means 546 fewer lives lost, and fewer grieving families and friends. Compared to the same quarter in 2024, there were 1,355 fewer murders, a 20,7% decrease. It is also heartening to see double digit decreases in the serious armed robberies that make up the trio crimes. There has been a 20,4% reduction in house robberies, 18,3% in business robberies and 22% reduction in the robberies of non-residential premises compared to the same period last year.
“But I must also be clear - the levels of violence and criminality in South Africa remain far too high. A decrease in crime is not the same as achieving safety. The levels of crime are still unacceptably high with 58 murders per day on average during this quarter. Our goal is not just fewer crimes, but that communities are and feel safe everywhere,” he said.
Cachalia said crime data also revealed notable provincial disparities and stubborn hotspots.
He said while Gauteng, the Western Cape, Eastern Cape and KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) all recorded notable decreases in murders, the provinces recorded over 80% of all murders in South Africa.
Cachalia said the statistics also reveal that the home, where people should be safest, has become a dangerous place for many.
He said 1,523 murders occurred in the residences of the perpetrator or victim.
Cachalia added that nearly half of all rapes in the fourth quarter, 47.2% took place at the home of the victim or the perpetrator.
“That is 4,620 out of 9,782 rapes, committed not in dark alleys by strangers, but in homes, by people known to the victim.”
Cachalia said violence in South Africa is not only about strangers attacking strangers.
“It is about partners, relatives, neighbours, and acquaintances. It is driven by arguments, jealousy, road rage and other interpersonal conflict. In this quarter alone, 898 murders were triggered by arguments and misunderstandings, a further 251 motivated by retaliation, revenge or punishment and 299 murders resulted from vigilantism.”
He added that organised crime remained a key threat with Gauteng, the Western Cape, the Eastern Cape and KZN contributing the largest share.
REACTION
Political parties
Riona Gokool, the DA’s spokesperson on community safety and liaison in KZN, said: “KZN remains among the top contributors to murders and organised crime. The continued prevalence of extortion, hijackings, drug syndicates and violent robberies shows that criminal networks are still operating with confidence.
“These statistics cannot become another quarterly exercise in numbers and speeches. Behind every statistic is a grieving family, a traumatised victim, and communities whose quality of life is being destroyed by lawlessness,” she said.
Sifiso Sonjica, the ANC’s spokesperson in KZN, said: “These statistics reflect the hard work and commitment of members of the SAPS, community policing structures and all stakeholders working together to restore safety in our communities. We commend law enforcement agencies for intensifying the fight against crime and for ensuring that criminals are increasingly brought to book.
“Although these reductions are encouraging, we must acknowledge that crime remains unacceptably high. The reality that we still record an average of 58 murders per day is a painful reminder that many communities still live under fear, violence and criminality,” he said.
Sonjica said the party did not take the increase in sexual assault cases as ‘just numbers’.
“It is a worrying fact that demands urgent intervention. Crime statistics must therefore not only be viewed as numbers, but as a reflection of the lived experiences of ordinary citizens, especially women, children and vulnerable groups who continue to suffer the most from violent crime.”
Shameen Thakur-Rajbansi, leader of the Minority Front, said: “While reductions in murders, rape, carjackings and robberies in KZN are encouraging, South Africans remain unconvinced that crime is truly decreasing because communities live in fear daily. An average 58 murders a day remains a national crisis.”
She said the statistics also did not fully reflect organised crime, drug syndicates, extortion, corruption-linked killings and illicit trade networks affecting communities.
“The lack of disaggregated data by age, nationality, gender and syndicate activity limits transparency and meaningful analysis. Overall, crimes against women and children are increasing, suggesting that current interventions are either fragmented, poorly monitored or failing to address root societal problems. Women and children still do not feel adequately protected by the justice system.
“Communities are increasingly questioning the reliability of the crime statistics because SAPS seldom explains the methodology, target populations surveyed or underreporting trends behind these repeated annual reports,” she said.
Crime fighters
Gareth Naidoo, spokesperson for KZN VIP Protection Services, said crime in Phoenix had not necessarily decreased.
“What has decreased is the willingness of victims to report incidents due to years of frustration, lack of positive outcomes, delayed investigations, and repeat offences occurring within the community.
“Many residents have unfortunately lost confidence in the process and now rely heavily on proactive private security companies for immediate assistance, rapid response, visibility, and crime prevention operations,” he said.
Naidoo said copper theft and infrastructure-related crimes remained a major concern.
He noted motor vehicle theft and hijackings had also become a growing concern within the greater Phoenix area.
The Phoenix CPF declined to comment.
Dhevan Govindasamy, spokesperson and tactical unit manager for PT Alarms Fire and Security, said: “Petty theft and theft of motor vehicles still is a major concern. Police should deploy more resources to the affected communities to create visibility which will serve as a deterrent.”
The Chatsworth CPF did not comment.
Prem Balram, the head of Reaction Unit South Africa, said while the statistics may have shown a decrease in some serious crimes, killings due to drive-by shootings, sexual assault, rape and kidnapping remained a growing concern in Verulam.
“We attend several callouts for such crimes in a day. Sexual assault and rape is on the rise. We also receive calls for different types of kidnappings such as for ransom, business-related, extortion-lined and ‘express’ which is when the victims are forced to withdraw money.”
Balram added that the solution to addressing the high crime rate in the country is through partnerships between law-abiding citizens and law enforcement.
Rachel Wilkin, spokesperson for the Verulam CPF, said crimes such as drug-related offences, assaults, domestic violence, sexual offences and property-related crimes remained prevalent.
“We believe the main drivers include substance abuse, poverty, unemployment, family dysfunction, easy access to drugs and illegal firearms, as well as broader psycho-social challenges affecting vulnerable communities.”
Wilkin added that law enforcement alone cannot solve crime.
“While continued visible policing, intelligence-driven operations and improved response times are important, greater emphasis is also needed on social crime prevention. This includes stronger intervention programmes for youth, substance abuse support services, school and community awareness campaigns, and improved collaboration between SAPS, government departments, NGOs and communities to address the root causes of crime.”