12.4% decrease in murder between Jan and March, reveals Police Minister Mchunu

JOHANNESBURG - During the first three months of the year, 5,727 people were murdered in the country, a rate of about 63 people killed a day.
 
This figure also shows a 12.4% decrease compared to the previous year, where 6,536 murders were recorded.
 
On Friday, Police Minister Senzo Mchunu presented the fourth quarter crime statistics, covering the period between 1 January to 31 March 2025.
 
Mchunu said that while it was encouraging that the murder rate had dropped by double-digit figures, the killings remain very high.
 
"We are encouraged that all but one province recorded decreases in murder incidents. The Northern Cape, despite contributing only 2% to the national murder statistics, recorded an increase, which cannot be ignored and will be addressed with targeted actions. The four high-crime provinces - Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal, Western Cape and the Eastern Cape - contributed the bulk of murder incidents nationally."