South Africa awaits latest SAPS crime statistics for April to June 2026

The South African Police Service (SAPS) is set to release the crime statistics for the first quarter of the 2026/2027 financial year, covering April to June 2026, at midday in Pretoria. Acting Minister of Police Firoz Cachalia, Deputy Ministers Cassel Mathale and Dr. Polly Boshielo, and Acting National Commissioner of Police Lieutenant-General Puleng Dimpane will present the figures.

Cachalia emphasized the importance of transparency, stating that citizens have the right to know the number of crimes reported to the SAPS. He explained that sharing this information helps communities, businesses, and public service departments understand crime trends in their areas and enables them to take collective action to enhance public safety.

In the previous quarter, there was a 9.5% decrease in murders, dropping from 5,727 in the same quarter of the previous year to 5,181. Cachalia highlighted this as the country's most reliable crime indicator and part of a broader decline in serious violent crime. Contact crimes, which involve direct contact between perpetrators and victims, decreased by 4.6%, with 7,405 fewer cases reported than the same period last year.

Improvements were attributed to the combined efforts of police and communities. Despite the progress, Cachalia cautioned that crime levels remain unacceptably high, with South Africa averaging 58 murders per day during the previous quarter. The four provinces of Gauteng, Western Cape, Eastern Cape, and KwaZulu-Natal accounted for over 80% of all murders nationally, but the government pledged to continue its police reform agenda, combat organized crime, and expand violence-prevention initiatives targeting the social factors contributing to violent crime.