Nelson Mandela Bay, Buffalo City Metro, and OR Tambo remain the top three districts with high crime rates, despite marginal decreases in the Eastern Cape.
Murder, attempted murder and rape were highest in these three districts.
This was revealed on Thursday when Provincial Commissioner Nomthetheleli Mene released the crime stats for the Fourth Quarter of the 2023/2024 financial year and the First Quarter of the 2024/2025 financial year in the NU 10 Community Hall in Mdantsane.
Among the attendees was the MEC for Community Safety, Xolile Nqatha and the Director of Public Prosecutions, Barry Madolo.
The report shows that while both quarters indicate a small decrease in overall crime, the dynamics within specific crime categories and districts tell a more complex story.
Overall Crime Trends
In the fourth quarter, serious crimes saw a reduction, with fewer cases reported compared to the previous cycle. This trend continued into the first quarter, suggesting a consistent decline across these two periods. The total number of serious crimes decreased by 855 and 877 cases respectively, reflecting ongoing efforts to address crime in the region.
District Performance
Examining the districts, General Mene said Nelson Mandela continues to be a significant contributor to overall crime, with a slight increase observed in the fourth quarter. Buffalo City, on the other hand, showed a more promising decline. In the first quarter, the performance mirrored this trend, with Nelson Mandela again leading in contributions, with 24.1% but with a notable decrease of 2.2%.
Contact Crimes
Contact crimes have shown troubling increases in both quarters. In the fourth quarter, there was a rise in serious offenses like aggravated robbery and murder. This upward trend continued into the first quarter, where contact crimes further increased, highlighting areas that need urgent attention.
The report identified several hotspots for contact crimes like murder, rape and attempted murder in the fourth quarter, including Mthatha, East London, New Brighton, Kwazakhele, and Lusikisiki. While in the first quarter, Mount Road, Humewhood, Mthatha and Cambridge police stations were among those flagged for most reports of serious crimes.
Sexual Offences
Sexual offences presented a mixed picture. While the fourth quarter saw a slight rise in reported cases, including an increase in rape, the first quarter showed a small overall decline percentage of 0.5%. A total of 1763 cases were reported in the first quarter, and of these rape crimes, Mthatha, Lusikisiki, Mbizana, Libode and East London were identified as hotspots
Property Crimes
Property crimes experienced notable decreases in both quarters. In the fourth quarter, significant drops were recorded in burglaries and thefts, with a continued decline in the first quarter. Mene said this trend offers a glimmer of hope, suggesting that community safety measures may be having a positive impact.
Crimes Against Women and Children
The landscape for crimes against women and children is complex. In the fourth quarter, there were reductions in serious offenses against women, such as murder and attempted murder. However, the first quarter saw an increase in some areas, particularly in attempted murder against women. The increase was seen in 31 murder cases, with attempted murder standing at 69, while assault GBH was at a staggering 148 cases in the first quarter. For children, the fourth quarter showed troubling increases in attempted murder, which continued into the first quarter with six murder cases and eight of attempted murder between April and June 2024.
Concluding the report, Mene said another great thorn in the flesh of police continued to be the extortion of businesses and individuals in communities. She said the greatest challenge that was faced by police in the fourth quarter was the “media hype” around extortion incidents, while police had little to no reported cases of extortion.
The Provincial Commissioner said the implementation of the Extortion Hotline has yielded results, with 38 genuine cases of extortion reported – and six suspects arrested thus far.
“People are phoning the hotline, we have recorded 3032 calls, 1553 were prank calls, 1100 were calls verifying the line, out of those, 38 cases have been registered and along with 15 enquiries . We are urging communities to use that hotline to follow up on extortion cases.”
MEC Nqatha however remained optimistic of the joint intervention measures in place to combat the high crime.
“We will intensify interventions, the disruptive operations, community mobilizations, imbizos, roadblocks and raids that we are having which have yielded results."
He said the cooperation agreement recently signed with the Nelson Mandela Bay was unlocking another level of fighting crime. "Three spheres of government are now pooling together resources to fight the intensifying crime. We are also taking a justice cluster approach in fighting crime to work collaboratively with communities . We need community involvement."
While there has been an overall decrease in serious crimes, specific categories, especially contact crimes, remain concerning. Mene said districts like Nelson Mandela, Buffalo City, and OR Tambo are particularly affected and require ongoing attention.
