Limpopo has recorded an overall decline in crime across most major categories in the third quarter of the 2025/2026 financial year, maintaining its position as one of the country’s safest provinces, despite a rise in murder cases.
The provincial third-quarter crime statistics, covering October to December 2025, were released on Monday by the provincial commissioner, Lieutenant General Thembi Hadebe, together with the MEC for Transport and Community Safety, Violet Mathye.
According to the figures, contact crimes decreased by 11.7%, trio crimes dropped by 24.4%, contact-related crimes declined by 5.6%, property-related crimes were down by 15.2%, and other serious crimes fell by 8.6%. Overall, the 17 priority crime categories recorded an 11.2% reduction compared to the same period in the previous financial year.
While murder cases increased by 5.9%, with 215 cases recorded this quarter compared to 203 in the same period last year — an increase of 12 cases — Limpopo continues to record the lowest murder rate in the country on a per-capita basis.
“During the third quarter, murder cases in the province increased by 5.9%, while the province recorded 203 cases the previous year, this quarter we recorded 215, representing 12 additional incidents. While this increase is a matter of concern, it is important to note that overall contact crimes continued their downward trend when compared to the same period last year. Despite this increase, we still maintained 3.5 % on a 100 000 population per-capita basis and still remain the lowest in the country for the past five consecutive years,” said Hadebe.
“It is worth mentioning that murder trend for the period of five years has declined to -25.9%,” she added.
Nationally, murder remains one of the most serious crimes confronting the country, with several provinces continuing to record significantly higher rates per 100,000 population. Against this backdrop, Limpopo’s per-capita rate positions it comparatively lower than its counterparts, reinforcing its status as one of the safer provinces overall.
In terms of operational successes, police arrested 180 people for illegal possession of firearms and recovered 243 firearms along with a substantial amount of ammunition.
A total of 2,654 arrests were made for drug-related crimes, reflecting an increase of 3.4%, while 1,665 people were arrested for drunk driving, marking a 40.4% increase.
Police also arrested 178 suspects for murder, 91 for attempted murder, and 288 for rape. In addition, 4,285 undocumented foreign nationals were arrested.
Efforts to clamp down on illegal activities included 2,471 illegal mining operations conducted, 1,858 unlicensed shebeens closed, and the recovery of 103 hijacked or stolen vehicles.
On gender-based violence and femicide, the province recorded a 5.8% decrease in sexual offences. Rape cases declined by 5.5%, attempted sexual assault decreased by 15 cases, while sexual assault increased by three cases.
Hadebe said the Family Violence, Child Protection and Sexual Offences (FCS) unit was being strengthened with additional personnel, with 124 police officers currently in field development to serve in the unit and other critical environments.
Meanwhile, Mathye welcomed the overall crime reduction but raised concern about the increase in murder cases. She commended police for their work and urged communities to continue reporting crime and supporting crime prevention initiatives.
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Jonisayi Maromo
iol.co.za
