Stats SA Murder Survey Contradicts SAPS Crime Statistics for 2025/26
- Statistics SA's latest Victims of Crime survey recorded a 21% rise in households experiencing murder in the 2025/26 period
- The survey findings sit in direct contrast to SAPS quarterly figures, which showed a 5.9% drop in recorded murders between April and June
- The survey also revealed that fewer than half of housebreaking victims reported the crime to the police, citing distrust in the system
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SOUTH AFRICA — Statistics South Africa's latest Victims of Crime survey has exposed a sharp contradiction between what households reported experiencing and what the South African Police Service officially recorded, particularly around murder.
Released on 1 September 2026, the survey found that the number of households affected by murder climbed 21% year-on-year to 17,000 during the 2025/26 period. Over five years, that figure has grown by 6.8%, amounting to roughly 63,000 households affected by murder in total.
SAPS figures tell a different story
According to News24, those findings sit in direct tension with the most recent quarterly crime statistics from the SAPS. Acting Police Minister Firoz Cachalia announced that murders recorded by police fell 5.9% to 5,427 victims between April and June, marking 343 fewer murders compared to the same quarter in the prior year. The divergence raises serious questions about the gap between crimes experienced by communities and those formally captured in official police data.
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Underreporting remains a persistent problem
Beyond murder, the survey pointed to a broader pattern of crime going unrecorded. Housebreaking affected approximately 1.08 million households across 1.5 million incidents, yet fewer than half of those households reported the break-ins to police. Among those who stayed silent, a quarter said they believed police would do nothing, 22% cited an absence of proof, and 19% said they handled the matter themselves.
Theft of personal property emerged as the most widespread crime at the individual level, affecting 1.2 million people across 1.4 million incidents, with only 37% of victims filing a report. Street robbery touched 459,000 people in 515,000 incidents, drawing a slightly higher reporting rate of 50%. Despite the murder figures, the survey noted an overall decline in general crime categories, with housebreaking down 10% year-on-year.
Public confidence in nighttime safety remains low
On perceptions of safety, 81% of respondents said they felt safe walking in their neighbourhoods during daylight hours. That confidence dropped sharply after dark, with only 38% feeling safe at night. Self-protective behaviour also increased, with the share of people taking precautions rising from 43% to 47%, and 32% of respondents opting to travel only during hours they deemed safer.
Eastern Cape remains country's murder hotspot
In a related article, Briefly News reported on the recent crime statistics presented by Acting Police Minister, Firoz Cachalia, which reveal the Eastern Cape as South Africa's murder hotspot, despite a national decline in murder rates. The alarming trend of victims often knowing their perpetrators underscores a growing concern about safety and violence within personal relationships.
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Source: Briefly News
