MEC Wessels Morweng,Major General Patrick Asaneng,Freddie Sonakile,HOD Dr Hans Kekana and Chief Director Mpho Rantona
JOINT MEDIA BRIEFING BY MEC WM MORWENG AND MAJOR GENERAL PATRICK ASANENG
2024/2025 FOURTH QUARTER CRIME STATISTICS
Potchefstroom Police Station 25 OR Tambo Street
10:00
Chairperson of Portfolio Committee Honourable Freddy Sonakile
Members of the Portfolio Committee here present
Acting Provincial Commissioner, General Asaneng
Head of Department, Dr Hans Kekana
Chief Director for Provincial Secretariat for Police Services, Mme Mpho Rantona
SAPS Senior Officers here present
Members of the Media
Good morning
We have invited you as members of the media this morning to release the 2024/2025 Fourth Quarter Crime Statistics. These are the figures collated from January to March 2025 as per cases reported at our 85 Police Stations across the Province. As was the case with the previous statistics released in March, you will see that there are crime patterns where the Province did very well in reduction of figures. However, there are areas where there is an urgent need for concerted effort to lower those figures.
The Province has achieved a significant 7.6% reduction on 17 Community Reported Crimes. This was in total 1 972 cases less, that were reported as compared to the same period in 2024. All crime categories recorded a decline, with contact crimes having a decrease of 7.7%. Owing to the general decrease in crime, incidents where women and children fell victims were also on a decline.
Domestic Violence scourge continued to be one of the crime generators. A total of 1 988 cases resulting from domestic violence were recorded. Amongst these, 16 were murders and 62 were rapes. Even though there were reductions in the general category of robbery aggravating, carjacking and robbery at residential premises remained to be a challenge particularly in Bojanala District.
Carjackings increased by 1.2% while robberies at residential premises recorded an increase of 3.5%. Most affected Stations were Rustenburg, Mooinooi, Hebron, Boitekong, Hartebeespoortdam and Klipgat.
Contact Related Crimes category decreased by 1.7%. Even though the Province recorded a decrease in the number of cases reported, it still experiences a high number of malicious damage to property incidents. Domestic violence continues to be a crime generator even for malicious damage to property. During the period under review, 361 cases resulting from domestic violence were reported.
The Province has recorded a massive 9.8% reduction which is 607 less cases in Property Related crimes since 2021. All Crimes under this category were on a decline and most notably, this include Stock Theft which is one of the province’s prevalent crimes. In the 4th Quarter, cases of Stock Theft went down by 13.5% even though, there are still areas in the Dr Ruth Segomotsi Mompati that are experiencing high number of theft of livestock.
The Office of the Provincial Commissioner will intensify interventions and operations to address this threat to the livelihoods of mostly emerging and subsistence farmers in that District. These interventions will amongst others include capacitation of the Stock Theft Unit, intensification of the Traditional Policing approach, strengthening and resourcing of both the Community Policing and Rural Safety Strategies.
This will be to eradicate not only stock theft but coming up with viable solutions to all the spatial, socio-economic crime enablers. It is a great concern that Taung remains the Province’s hotspot for stock theft and having met farmers there last week, here are harrowing stories of brazen criminality. The same was regurgitated almost word for word by farmers in Khunwana village in Ngaka Modiri Molema when I interacted with them yesterday.
Whilst arrests have been made in some of the reported cases in Taung, the Provincial Commissioner has been tasked to immediately implement a more concerted collaborative operational plan. Through docket analysis and Crime Threat Analysis, it has been established that Stock stolen is sold outside the Province especially in Gauteng and to some auctioneers in the Northern Cape.
Farmers in Taung said they have traced their livestock in KwaZulu Natal. Though stock theft has gone down by 13.5% as a crime pattern in the Province for the quarter, reported cases in Taung have gone up by 22.2%. This makes Taung a seventh (7th) problematic area in stock theft in the entire Republic.
In instances where arrests have been made, investigation has revealed that some of the local people are working with outsiders. The stolen livestock such as goats is then transported in combis and in some cases panel vans. The pattern indicates that this livestock is stolen in remote villages at grazing fields or cattle posts.
Stock Theft is also a cross-border problem between the North West Province and Botswana and the problem is caused by the porous, dilapidated vast border fence. The Provincial Commissioner has since through the PROVJOINTS engaged the Botswana security agencies to address this trans-national problem.
Looking at the Province’s Districts crime weight contributions, Bojanala district contributed 44% to the total of the Provincial picture. Dr Kenneth Kaunda, 24.9%, Ngaka Modiri Molema contributed 20.4% and Dr Ruth Segomotsi Mompati 10.7% respectively.
In General, the 4th Quarter saw 2024/25 Financial year through a positive end, with a decrease on crime levels. Amongst others, this was achieved through efforts of the police in addressing Crimes Detected as a result of Police Actions. The Province recorded 17.1% increase with 587 more cases where basically criminality has been averted from taking place as a result of a police action. This include where action taken by police deterred 44.5% of what would have been sexual offences.
We continue to appreciate the work of the South African Police officers who have worked hard to ensure these figures are as low as they are, especially on serious crimes. In summary, for the quarter the following reduction in crimes has been recorded:
- Rape has gone down by 4.8%
- Common robbery by 12.2%
- Rape by 4.8%
- Murder by 12.6%
- Robbery with aggravating circumstances by 10.6%
- Shoplifting by 25.1%
- Robbery at non-residential premises by 26.2%
- Burglary at non-residential premises by 20.5%
- Burglary at residential premises by 21.1%
- Commercial crime by 25.1%
- Stock theft by 13.5%
- Driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs by 21.8%
Let me hasten to point out that these figures are not in any way suggesting that we are out of trouble in as far as crime is concerned. They are simply highlighting the factorization of figures of reported crime compared to the same period for the last quarter.
In crimes against women and children, the statistics on Grievous Bodily Harm (GBH) have gone down by 3,6% and 23.4% respectively but attempted murder on women remain stubbornly high rising by 37%.
For the quarter, we have reported 191 cases of kidnapping where ransom was demanded nine of them and four being extortion.
In fight against illicit mining, Operation Vala Umgodi still continues. It is worth noting that during the period under review, the illegal mining crime levels at Stations in Dr Kenneth Kaunda have decreased. It was only Khuma station area that still had contact crime challenges, specifically Robbery Aggravating and assaults. Regarding murder cases, Kanana was the only station that had more cases reported.
These resulted from multiple murder cases that were reported. Rehabilitation and permanent closure of problematic shafts 10 and 11 was done by Department of Mineral and Energy. In total, 242 cases of illegal mining, possession of gold bearing material and illegal immigration were opened, all of which went to court and 178 finalised. There had been arrests of 1 831 suspects and 1 431 of them were found guilty. The rest were minors who after having gone through a verification process, were deported to their countries of origin which are Mozambique, Zimbabwe and Lesotho.
The following stations feature in the Top 10 nationwide on variety of crimes:
I once more wish to express my profound thanks to all officers for a sterling work and to Provincial Commissioner Major General Patrick Asaneng to whom I shall now hand over to lead the presentation of the statistics.
4th Quarter Statistics release 202425
ENDS!!
JOINTLY ISSUED BY THE DEPARTMENT OF COMMUNITY SAFETY AND TRANSPORT MANAGEMENT AND THE OFFICE OF THE SAPS PROVINCIAL COMMISSIONER, NW
