Did Gauteng have a safer Christmas last year? What the crime stats say

Gauteng police were positive over the decrease in overall crime as reflected in the recent provincial crime statistics for the third quarter crime statistics for the 2024/25 financial year. 

Gauteng Provincial Police Commissioner Lieutenant General Tommy Mthombeni said the downward trajectory of the province’s crime statistics makes him hopeful.

“Hopeful that we are moving in the right direction,” he said.

Mthombeni said October to December was the busiest time of the year, as the festive season, and police anticipated an increase in crime due to more people moving in and out of Gauteng.

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Nearly 1 in 3 arrested were illegal immigrants

“Through Operation Shanela, we have arrested a total of 34 910 suspects for various crimes including 10 936 illegal immigrants.”

A total of 4 601 suspects were arrested for contact crimes, including 140 arrests for murder and 114 for attempted murder,1 836 arrests for assault grievous bodily harm (GBV) and 1 650 arrests for common assault.

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Mthombeni said police closed 1 414 illegal liquor outlets, seized more than 160 million millilitres of alcohol and 4 007 suspects arrested for liquor-related offences.

351 illegal firearms (including 31 rifles and seven shotguns) and 6 608 rounds of ammunition were seized during the operations.

Child protection and sexual offences units arrested 1 168 sexual offenders and presented 221 cases in court where 142 offenders were sentenced to a combined 65 life terms and an additional 303 years’ imprisonment.

Was Gauteng safer last quarter?

“The overall crime as reflected by the broad category of the 17 community reported serious crimes has decreased by 6.5% or 7 563 counts compared with the same period in 2023/2024,” Mthombeni said.

“The contact crime category recorded a decrease of 2 398 counts compared to the same period in 2023/2024, translating to a reduction of 4.7%.

“This category of crime includes offences such as murder, assault, rape and trio crimes (carjacking, robbery at residential premises and robbery at non-residential premises) as well as the robbery of cash in transit, truck hijacking and kidnapping,” Mthombeni added.

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He said arson decreased by 10.1% and malicious damage to property increased by 0.2%. Property-related crime also decreased by 16.3%, translating to 3 870 fewer counts registered.

“The category of other serious crime has decreased by 3.8% compared with the same period in the 2023/2024 financial year. This category includes offences such as theft not mentioned elsewhere, commercial crimes and shoplifting.”

What about illegal mining?

Mthombeni said police were making great strides in combatting illicit mining.

Through Operation Vala Umgodi’s multi-disciplinary team 1 034 suspects were arrested, including 586 illegal immigrants, and their tools of the trade seized (1 589 pendukas, 164 generators, 483 explosives, over 1.7 million grams of gold dust among other items).

Crime detected as a result of police action recorded an increase in three of the four offences, namely: drug-related crime (12.9%), sexual offences (8.7%), driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs (1.7%).

Illegal possession of firearms and ammunition saw a 6.3% decrease.

“An increase in these crime categories is regarded as a positive because it indicates the intensified police activities in preventing and combating crime,” the police commissioner said.

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‘Not a true reflection of crime in Gauteng’

Gauteng Freedom Front Plus MPL and provincial leader Jaco Mulder said the crime statistics were not a true reflection of the extent of crime in the province.

“Although there is a marginal reduction in the reported crime figures for, among other things, contact crimes by 4.7%, rape by 5.8% and property-related crimes, including break-ins, by 16.3%; there were still 2 300 rapes and 4 186 property-related crimes reported for the quarter between October and December 2024,” he said.

Mulder said private security companies play a significant role in curbing and reducing crime.

“It is, unfortunately, a proven fact that the public does not report all crimes to the police seeing as many police stations are unable to open and register case dossiers, do not have enough competent officers and do not have vehicles to thoroughly investigate cases,” he said.

Mulder said it was insightful that Gauteng contributes roughly 26.5% to South Africa’s national crime figures, which is more or less proportional to the province’s population.

“A more accurate picture of actual crime statistics would be obtained if all crimes are promptly reported,” he said.