Eastern Cape murder rate remains unacceptably high

Violent crime nationally is on the decline — but not in the Eastern Cape, which has the highest crime rate in SA.

Presenting the fourth-quarter crime statistics for the 2025/26 financial year, covering January to March, a week ago, police minister Firoz Cachalia said the province remained the country’s murder hotspot, presenting the highest risk with 14.3 murders per 100,000 people.

The murder ratio is far above the national average of 8.2 murders per 100,000 people. The Western Cape followed with 12.8 murders per 100,000 people, while KwaZulu-Natal recorded 8.8.

Cachalia said violent “contact crimes”, including murder, rape, assault and robbery, declined nationally by 4.6%, with 7,405 fewer cases reported compared to the same period last year.

Murder cases dropped by 9.5%, from 5,727 in the same quarter last year to 5,181 this year, meaning 546 fewer people lost their lives.

And while for the rest of the country, this decline is encouraging, the severe levels of violence in the Eastern Cape are cause for concern.

Impactful and lasting declines in crime need several interventions including but not limited to safer public spaces, initiatives and education to address the root causes of crime and job creation

“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,” Cachalia said.

And we agree — a decrease in crime is not a victory until we achieve safety for all.

We need a SA where every individual feels safe, whether out on the streets or in homes where, according to statistics, more than 1,500 murders took place in the residence of either the perpetrator or the victim, and more than 47% of rapes took place in homes.

So while we welcome the decline with cautious optimism, crime cannot be solved through policing alone.

Impactful and lasting declines in crime need several interventions including but not limited to safer public spaces, initiatives and education to address the root causes of crime and job creation.

Only then can we truly start to celebrate.