Crime surge in Cape Town: Murder rate up 9.1% as police cite gang violence and overcrowding

Provincial police commissioner Lieutenant-General Thembisile Patekile says the City of Cape Town police station precinct provides fertile grounds for crime due to factors including densely populated communities located mainly in informal settlements and a high unemployment rate.

He also cited limited, if any, diversion programmes for the youth, and sprawling municipal flats that are cramped spaces.

“Causal factors for these bothersome crimes include, among others, gang violence, taxi violence, arguments, revenge attacks, extortion, and gender-based violence,” Patekile said.

Patekile, Police Oversight and Community Safety MEC Anroux Marais and other officials unpacked the Crime Stats for the province at a media briefing yesterday. 

“While we are not pleased with the second quarter performance, we remain competent. We will turn the corner with the concerted efforts as we navigate this space with other law enforcement agencies, such as the City of Cape Town and other metro police, traffic services, and scores of community volunteers, as well as neighbourhood watches.”

For the crime stats, police measure the count difference between the years by calculating the percentage increase and decrease in each category. To compare the provincial crime per 100,000, a ratio is calculated, and the percentage contribution is also calculated.

Murder for the province has risen 9,1% in comparison to the same period last year, but matches the volume of murders committed in 2023, with 1,160 counts recorded. Attempted murder has also risen by 4,8% with 1,157 counts recorded.

Police recorded a decrease of 1,6% in sexual offences; however, sexual assault increased by 3,0%. Rape cases decreased by 3,1% while police recorded 18 fewer counts of contact sexual offences.

Assault GBH increased by 2,6%, common assault increased by 1,8%, and common robbery increased by 3,0%. Carjacking, robbery at residential premises, and robbery at non-residential premises decreased by 21,3%, 22,2% and 28,1% respectively.

Patekile said that when Police Minister Professor Firoz Cachalia, and National Commissioner, General Fannie Masemola, released the stats at the end of November, it became apparent that the gains that were made in the first quarter were eroded by the spike in violent crimes during the second quarter, “particularly of note is the increase of murders and attempted murders in August this year”.

“Our crime analysis revealed that the violent crime is concentrated within the City of Cape Town. Hence, the Western Cape has nine police stations on the list of the Top 30 National Contact Crimes stations countrywide. Of the 9 stations, 8 are in the City of Cape Town.

“Even on the list of top 30 police stations for murder, the Western Cape now has 13 stations within the City of Cape Town.”

He said that at the heart of these crimes is the use of illegal firearms and ammunition.

Patekile also noted that during the second quarter, 114 gang leaders were arrested, and 116 gang members were arrested. In August, 77 murders were gang-related.

He said that seizures and arrests make a dent in the scourge of violent crime in communities, but they are aware that “it is cold comfort to families who have lost loved ones”.

Marais added that the stats do not paint an encouraging picture of the crime situation.

“While there are areas of progress that we must acknowledge, the overall trends remind us that we need to work much harder and much smarter to make the Western Cape safer.”