South Africa’s fourth quarter crime statistics for the 2024/25 financial year reveal a mixed picture. While there are modest signs of progress in reducing certain categories of violent crime, a deepening crisis of trust, accountability and systemic dysfunction continues to dominate the policing landscape. This became evident during a tense sitting of the Portfolio Committee on Police, where members scrutinised the South African Police Service (SAPS) leadership and demanded clear answers and urgent action.
Covering the period from January to March 2025, SAPS reported a decline in several community-reported crimes. Murder cases dropped by 809 from the previous year’s corresponding quarter, with a national total of 5,727. Attempted murders, assaults, aggravated robberies, carjackings and cash-in-transit heists also recorded decreases. SAPS attributed these improvements in part to Operation Shanela, a nationwide crime-combatting initiative, with the leadership claiming that “we are not yet where we want to be, but the work is yielding results.”
However, the committee was far from convinced that the figures represented meaningful progress. Chairperson of the Committee, Ian Cameron, warned against complacency, saying that “no amount of strategy or resourcing can make up for a lack of public trust.” While the statistics may have moved in the right direction in some areas, Cameron and other committee members argued that the reality on the ground tells a much darker story, especially in high-risk areas like the Cape Flats, where gang violence continues to claim dozens of lives weekly.
Gender-based violence and rape remain disturbingly high, with reported rape cases increasing by 36 during the quarter. Most rapes occurred at the homes of either the victim or perpetrator. The Eastern Cape recorded the highest rape rate per capita, with 25 cases per 100,000 people, while Gauteng led in total case numbers. Shockingly, 80 rapes occurred at schools and other educational institutions. “This is a tsunami of horror,” said Democratic Alliance (DA) Committee member Diane Kohler-Barnard. “It’s beyond comprehension that such brutality is happening in our country. What is SAPS doing to stop it?” The African Christian Democratic Party’s Reverend Kenneth Meshoe echoed this sentiment, asking, “Are we going to remain stuck at a 10 percent conviction rate? Why are rapists not afraid of our justice system?” SAPS noted that during the quarter, 703 gender-based violence convictions were achieved, including 93 life sentences, yet acknowledged that backlogs and court delays remain a massive impediment to justice.
The most damning segment of the meeting came during a discussion on police accountability. After the hearing, Cameron issued a blistering condemnation of SAPS’s internal culture, stating, “After today’s engagement during the police portfolio committee with SAPS leadership, I am more convinced than ever that Section 34 inquiries under the SAPS Act must be urgently instituted against members of the police service who face serious criminal charges. These inquiries should not be optional. They should be considered a legal and moral imperative to ensure a credible, professional police service.” Cameron outlined several specific cases, all presented to SAPS leadership during the session. These included a constable charged with rape still on duty at a local station, an acting station commander facing charges of attempted murder and torture, a court orderly caught with over 900 Mandrax tablets still deployed at Cape Town Central, a member previously arrested for selling dockets and drunk driving now reinstated, and a detective out on bail for drug dealing still active. “This situation gravely undermines the credibility of SAPS and betrays the communities they are meant to serve. Section 34 inquiries are designed precisely to deal with this, by determining whether an officer is fit to remain in service,” Cameron said.
Members across party lines called for a hard line on internal misconduct. DA representative Lisa Shickerling noted, “There are police officers in the Western Cape still working despite being out on bail for rape. That is completely unacceptable.” ANC Committee member Fadiel Adams was equally direct, asking, “Why is it so hard to find a coloured policeman in a coloured suburb? Why are stations in the Cape Flats, where the dying is happening, so systematically under-resourced?” More than 80 percent of the country’s understaffed stations are located in that region, and committee members were outraged that hundreds of trained officers remained at home despite having been issued personnel numbers.
Further frustration centred on poor equipment and infrastructure. At the Delft police station, detectives reportedly share four mobile phones between 30 members. Action SA’s Dereleen James noted, “That is having a conventional approach for unconventional crime in these areas. No wonder morale is rock bottom.”
Firearms also featured prominently in the report. Most murders were committed using guns, and while police reported more confiscations, conviction rates remained abysmally low. “Only 5 percent of firearm-related arrests in Cape Town resulted in convictions,” Shickerling said. SAPS blamed court delays and overburdened forensic services, but committee members demanded an overhaul of tracking, prosecution and inter-agency collaboration.
The absence of a coherent anti-gang strategy was another major concern. The MK Party’s Glen Taaibosch noted the surge in murders over a single weekend, citing over 40 deaths linked to gang violence across Cape Town, the Eastern Cape and parts of Johannesburg. “I want to know how many of the murders this quarter are gang-related. If we don’t have a plan, we are in deep trouble,” he warned.
Cameron confirmed that the committee has resolved to summon the station commander of Fleurhof to account for alleged police inaction in the high-profile murder of Jayden-Lee Meek. “This marks the beginning of deeper station-level oversight because real accountability starts where crime happens,” he said.
As the meeting concluded, frustration remained high. Committee members reiterated their calls for full visibility on conviction rates, case backlogs, inter-departmental coordination and internal disciplinary processes. “People need to see that justice is being done. Until they do, until the criminals start fearing arrest and conviction, these numbers mean very little,” said Rise Mzansi’s Makashule Gana.
The fourth quarter stats may suggest progress on paper, but the Portfolio Committee on Police made one thing clear: without urgent, uncompromising action on police accountability and justice system reform, South Africans will continue to live under siege, and public trust in the police will continue to erode.
