Gauteng's crime crisis deepens despite decline in sexual offences

Despite a 2.1% reduction in sexual offences, reduced incidents of robbery with aggravating circumstances, cash-in-transit robberies, kidnappings, human trafficking, and truck hijackings continue to remain high in Gauteng.

This was revealed by Gauteng Police Commissioner Tommy Mthombeni, who on Thursday briefed the Gauteng Provincial Legislature Committee on Public Safety on the 4th Quarter Crime Stats for the 2024/25 financial year.  

Mthombeni's address comes hot on the heels of the recent murder of Olorato Mongale, the mutilation and murder of 14-year-old Likhona Fose, and the gruesome discovery of an unknown woman in Braamfischerville, Soweto, on Wednesday.

He indicated that the police are concerned by the number of kidnappings and other types of crimes that continue to wreak havoc in the lives of Gauteng citizens.

Mthombeni said the reduction was due to the efforts of the Family Violence, Child Protection and Sexual Offences unit having maintained a strong approach to this type of crime.

The Family Violence, Child Protection and Sexual Offences maintains a comprehensive approach to address sexual offenses, from enforcement to education and community engagement. For the period under review, they have arrested 1,112 sexual offenders, presented 1,356 cases in court, and secured convictions for 102 offenders, resulting in 28 life terms and an additional 900 years' imprisonment.

"The efforts undertaken extend beyond law enforcement, with 127 awareness campaigns reaching 12,300 individuals, including 4,250 adults and 8,050 children. These campaigns focus on strengthening partnerships with stakeholders and promoting the importance of reporting sexual offenses and gender-based violence, and femicide," he said.

According to the provincial commissioner, for the three months under review, Gauteng recorded a 15.8% increase in kidnappings, with a sample size of 2,341 cases analysed.

Mthombeni indicated that to curb this increase, the police are working with the provincial government and other stakeholders.

"Through the National Anti-Kidnapping Unit, the province has arrested 88 suspects linked to 62 cases of kidnapping and rescued 77 victims of kidnapping during the period under review. We are working together with our stakeholders to combat the kidnapping syndicates operating in this province.

"We are thankful to Business Against Crime South Africa for our partnership through the Eyes and Ears Initiative. We are able to deploy their technological resources and utilise security officers as force multipliers when conducting take-down operations," he added.

Though contact crimes saw a reduction, Mthombeni stated that the province continues to grapple with multiple murder incidents in areas such as the Mary Me informal settlements, where six community patrollers were killed and in other incidents in Kagiso, Slovoville, Swaneville, and surrounding areas having reported various incidents of multiple murders between illegal miners combining for a total of 75 dockets.

"Contact crimes are crimes committed against a person, and the province in this broad category has decreased by 8.5% (3,864 counts). Within this category, murder was reduced by 10.8%. Honourable chairperson, in Gauteng, the leading causative factors for murders are arguments/misunderstanding/road rage/provocation, closely followed by robbery.

"Murders in this province are mainly committed at a public place and then at the residence of the victim or perpetrator. Gauteng has a challenge of multiple murders. These multiple murders have contributed 75 dockets with 191 victims to the province’s murder rate.

"The highest number of fatalities occurred in two incidents where seven victims were murdered at the same crime scene," he said. 

siyabonga.sithole@inl.co.za