Gauteng recorded an overall decrease in crime across 17 community-reported categories, although Gauteng accounts for 26% of such crimes reported nationally, Provincial Police Commissioner Tommy Mthombeni says.
Presenting the province’s fourth-quarter crime statistics for the 2025/26 financial year, Mthombeni said Gauteng recorded a 15% decrease in murders and a 9.9% decline in rape cases. However, kidnapping increased by 1.6% while sexual assault rose by 5.2%.
Contact crimes, including assault and robbery, declined by 5.9%, representing 2 433 fewer cases than during the same period last year.
Murder decreased by 15% and attempted murder by 3.2%.
Mthombeni said murder cases were commonly linked to arguments, misunderstandings, road rage incidents, provocation, vigilantism and robbery.
“The 17 community-reported serious crimes have decreased by 5 066 cases, translating to a 5.2% decline compared to the same period last year,” he said.
Despite the decrease, Gauteng accounted for 26% of all community-reported serious crimes recorded across the country’s nine provinces.
Mthombeni explained that mob justice incidents contributed to 74 murders, followed by robberies with 68 and retaliation or revenge attacks with 47.
Most of the 664 murders occurred in public spaces, while 215 took place at residences.
Kidnappings increased by 38 cases, or 1.6%, to 2 452 incidents. Police said many of the cases were linked to vehicle hijackings. Gauteng remained the country’s kidnapping hotspot, averaging roughly 27 incidents a day.
“Kidnappings have increased by 1.6% during the period under review. This is one thorny area, honourable chairperson, members and honourable premier.
“While most kidnappings in the province are attributed to hijacking, our integrated multidisciplinary intervention with our national anti-kidnapping, provincial organised crime, the E2 project, we have, together, arrested 616 suspects for the period January to March 2026.”
Mthombeni added that Johannesburg recorded the highest number of contact crimes in the province, at 15 059 cases, followed by Ekurhuleni with 9 146 and Tshwane with 8 946. Sedibeng was the only district to register an increase, rising by 6.4% to 3 162 cases, while the West Rand recorded 2 761 incidents.
Police stations, including Tembisa, Ivory Park, Jeppe, Alexandra, Eldorado Park and Johannesburg Central, ranked among the country’s highest for contact crimes and murders. Jeppe, Alexandra, Ivory Park and Eldorado Park also featured prominently among stations with the highest murder counts in Gauteng.
Mthombeni attributed part of the decline in crime to Operation Shanela 2, which led to
36 122 arrests during the reporting period, including 11 715 undocumented foreigners.
Operation Shanela is a high-density crime-fighting initiative led by the South African Police Service in partnership with the department of home affairs and other agencies.
Police arrested 155 suspects for murder and 220 for robbery, alongside many arrests linked to assault-related crimes.
The operation also resulted in the recovery of 278 firearms, including 26 rifles and seven shotguns, as well as 7 849 rounds of ammunition and 163 hijacked or stolen vehicles. Police seized 1 630kg of drugs, 206kg of stolen cable, 83 770 litres of liquor and large quantities of counterfeit goods, while 1 205 illegal liquor outlets were shut down.
Mthombeni noted that the figures reflected only Operation Shanela successes and excluded routine policing outcomes.
“The total number of arrests for this quarter … is 36 122 of which 11 715 were illegal immigrants. We are mindful of the current situation in the country and what is happening in the province in terms of the anti-foreign national sentiment,” Mthombeni cautioned.
“Our focus remains on enforcing the law fairly and ensuring that all persons within Gauteng are accounted for under the law.”
He noted that most serious crime categories declined during the quarter, with arson and commercial crime among the few categories to record increases.
A total of 1 287 sexual offences cases were brought before the courts, resulting in 128 convictions. Of those, 19 offenders received life sentences, while additional sentences imposed amounted to a combined 109 years’ imprisonment.
Mthombeni said crime detection through proactive police operations increased by 12.5%, accounting for 2 447 cases.
Detection rates were particularly strong for offences including illegal possession of firearms and ammunition, drug-related crimes, sexual offences and driving under the influence. Police arrested 5 251 suspects for driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs.
The Gauteng Anti-Gang Unit secured three life sentences after the South Gauteng High Court, Johannesburg, convicted four men — Garth van Wyk, Lerul Rankow, Leon Breda and Marti Breda — of murder, attempted murder and the illegal possession of firearms and ammunition.
The group was also sentenced to a combined 24 years’ imprisonment for crimes committed in the Langlaagte and Sophiatown policing precincts in 2013.
“I want to emphasise the positive impact of collaboration between government departments in rebuilding community trust and improving service delivery,” Mthombeni said. “A whole-of-government approach remains central to the future of policing in this province.”
Gauteng experienced a notable 15% decrease in murders and a 9.9% drop in rape cases but kidnapping increased by 1.6% and sexual assault by 5.2%