Police comb the scene where body of a man found with stab wounds on a field behind Maitland High School. Picture: Armand Hough/Independent Newspapers
Cape Town - Despite the Western Cape’s crime stats for quarter three of 2024/25 showing a decrease in murders by 7.9%, civil organisations and crime fighters are calling for more strategies to combat crime, including SANDF deployment to stabilise volatile communities where gang shootings are rife.
Police Oversight and Community Safety MEC, Anroux Marais, said in response to the latest crime statistics: “The 7.9% decrease in the overall murder rate in the Western Cape for quarter three of 2024/25 follows a 7.1% decrease in quarter two of 2024/25. This latest reduction represents a decrease of 103 murders. What is more encouraging is that there was a 15.5% decrease in murders in our combined Law Enforcement Advancement Plan (LEAP) deployment areas, from 459 cases in 2023/24 to 388 in 2024/25 with Nyanga recording a decline of 26%.
“The Western Cape, excluding LEAP deployment areas, recorded a decrease of -3.8% indicating that LEAP plays an integral part in our continued efforts to reduce the murder rate in our province.”
But civil organisation, Action Society, said although they welcomed Police Minister, Senzo Mchunu’s invitation for stronger partnerships between SAPS and communities in the ongoing war against crime, they called for a more pro active approach, stating that numbers continued to be high.
They said murders reached a total number of 6 953, which meant 77 people are killed per day and attempted murder cases stood at 7 666, which amounts to 85 per day in the country.
For the same period, 54 337 people were assaulted with the intent to inflict grievous bodily harm (Assault GBH), with 604 incidents per day.
“For this period, 11 803 rapes were recorded, with 131 women being raped per day (more than five per hour). “During the same period, a total of 961 women were murdered with 11 per day.
”Assault GBH against women stood on 16 023 with 45 per day,” they added.
The Western Cape Department of Health and Wellness said they were concerned about firearm related incidents during the period of February 1 - 11.
“While media reports have pointed to certain areas as being particularly affected by gang-related violence, we must emphasise that not all patients admitted to hospitals were injured in the same areas where they sought care.
“Many people travel to facilities outside their communities due to a variety of factors including further threats of violence, the severity of their injuries, or access to specialist care.
“For this reason, geographical data should not be viewed in isolation, as it does not fully reflect the complexity of the situation,” they explained.
During the past two weeks, Fight Against Crime SA (FACSA) carried out an independent report on shootings, counting 168 incidents across various communities.
In a statement to the Cape Argus, they called for the SANDF to be deployed. Queries to the SANDF on this went unanswered.
“FACSA strongly disputes the statement by the Police Ministry that there is no need for the SANDF to be deployed to assist with the escalating gang violence. This is not just crime —it is urban warfare,” they said.
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