RUSTENBURG HERALD - RUSTENBURG - A recent StatsSA’s survey (Victims of Crime) shows a worsening crime crisis, with sexual offences nearly tripling since 2020/21 and communities feeling unsafe and mistrustful.
The DA condemns SAPS’ ongoing failure to provide effective policing as concerning increases can be seen in serious crimes such as sexual offences, where instances have spiked from 25 000 cases in 2020/21 to a shocking 73 000 cases in 2024/25.
The report by StatsSA demonstrates a national crime crisis, as only 36.1% of South Africans feel safe walking alone at night in their own communities. Also, an estimated 983 000 households were victims of housebreaking in the past year and nearly 846 000 people fell victim to theft of personal property.
Communities remain under siege due to violent crimes such as murder, assault, robbery, rape and sexual offences, with many cases going unreported due to deep mistrust of the South African Police Service (SAPS).
Without a functional intelligence unit that can anticipate, prevent, and disrupt criminal activity, communities remain exposed, and SAPS is left reacting to crises instead of preventing them. Crime prevention strategies remain reactive instead of proactive, leaving communities exposed to repeat victimisation.
The survey done by StatsSA has delivered a picture of the lived experiences of the victims/survivors of crime, whereas South Africa receives data-centric reports from the SAPS on a quarterly basis that reflect the documented cases or criminal complaints opened at SAPS stations.
The StatsSA survey may paint a more accurate picture of the real impact of crime, because it does not go through the filter of the SAPS self-reporting. A significant reporting issue in the quarterly crime statistics released by the SAPS themselves, is that they fail to report on crimes specifically targeting women and children. SAPS remains under-resourced, undertrained and compromised by cadre deployment and corruption.
For SAPS to improve, it is high time that there is effective and hands-on management of policing at the national level. Only a capable state with professional, community-focused policing can restore safety and rebuild trust.
