- Western
Cape sees a 7.9% drop in murders during the third quarter of the 2024-’25
financial year, with 103 fewer cases compared to last year. - Mayco
member JP Smith highlights the need for reform to address the surge in
firearm-related violence, as gangs continue to access illegal firearms and
ammunition. - Despite
decreases in other crime categories, robberies have increased in Grassy
Park and Muizenberg, with notable rises in aggravated robbery and
carjackings in those areas.
Gang violence remains a major concern, although provincial crime stats released last week revealed a drop in murders.
Provincial police commissioner Lt Gen Thembisile Patekile briefed the media on the 2024-’25 third-quarter crime statistics on Tuesday 25 February.
According to Patekile, the murder rate in quarter three of the 2024-’25 financial year recorded 103 fewer cases (7,9%) in the Western Cape compared to the same period last year.
Responding to the crime figures, Mayco member for safety and security JP Smith said it was cold comfort to the loved ones of the 1 198 people murdered during that period.
“Serious reform is needed to stop this constant surge of firearm-related violence. The gangs seem to have access to an endless supply of illegal firearms and ammunition,” said Smith.
“It cannot be that this number of firearms and ammunition are making it onto the streets without a trace.”
Last month, People’s Post reported on multiple gang-related shootings in the Lotus River area.
At the time, Ward 65 councillor Donovan Nelson called an urgent community meeting to address gang-violence
READ: Urgent call for action as gang violence endangers service delivery in Lotus River
“These brazen acts of violence put the lives of City employees at risk and directly impact essential service delivery in our community,” Nelson stated then.
“When staff safety is compromised, service delivery suffers, and ultimately, it is the residents who are left to endure the consequences. I strongly condemn this lawlessness and call on the Grassy Park Police Station leadership and the Grassy Park Community Policing Forum (CPF) to urgently escalate this matter by requesting additional resources from provincial commissioner Lt Gen Thembisile Patekile.”
Other notable decreases in the crime stats included attempted murder, which came down by 12,5%, sexual offences dropped by 4,6%, common robbery 7,1% and carjackings 14%.
“The City continues to implement hotspot-policing initiatives through the deployment of officers in hotpots defined through analysis of crime data obtained from police as part of the hotspot enforcement pilot project.”
Meanwhile, robbery has increased in the Grassy Park and Muizenberg policing precincts.
According to the latest crime stats, robbery with aggravating circumstances went up from 66 cases to 106 in the third quarter (from October 2024 to December 2024) in Grassy Park.
In the Muizenberg policing precinct, robbery at residential premises rose up from two cases to five cases in the third quarter while carjackings increased from one case to four cases.
