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TThe DA says the Eastern Cape remains the most dangerous place to live in, adding that it’s a province where lawlessness is becoming more brazen, violent, and organized.
DA Shadow MEC for Community Safety, Yusuf Cassim, said the provincial government “remains paralysed” in the face of rising fear.
He said while the fourth quarter crime statistics showed a slight decline, with 1,020 murders recorded between January and March 2025, the Eastern Cape still records the highest murder rate in the country at 15.4 per 100,000 people.
“When combining the quarterly stats for the 2024/25 financial year, 4,804 people were murdered in the Eastern Cape, an average of more than 13 lives lost every day.
“The province also has six stations in the top 30 stations in terms of murder dockets opened, five of them in Nelson Mandela Bay, namely: Kwazakele (6th), New Brighton (8th), Motherwell (17th), Kwanobuhle (19th), and KwaDwesi (21st), with Mthatha (25th) completing the list,” Cassim said.
He noted that sexual offences have shown a marginal decline, but the danger remains acute, saying the Eastern Cape has the highest rape rate in South Africa, with a ratio of 24.7 per 100,000.
“Kidnappings have increased by 6.3 percent, with 235 cases reported, including 13 incidents involving ransom demands.
“These figures reveal the growing confidence and coordination of criminal syndicates operating in our province.
Cassim noted further that residential robberies are also on the rise, with 617 households targeted in just three months, adding that stock theft was up by 8.5 percent, while house and business burglaries also continue to surge.
He also highlighted the shrinking pool of police officers, saying that between 2016 and 2023, SAPS lost over 8,400 detectives, shrinking the national pool from 26,000 to just 17,600.
“That number continues to decline, even as violent crime intensifies,” he said.
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