While the country has recorded a decrease in certain serious crimes, Cachalia says the numbers do not erase the lived experiences of South Africans.
Financial extortion remains the most common type in South Africa, accounting for half of reported cases in the first quarter, crime stats have revealed.
On Friday, Acting Minister of Police Firoz Cachalia presented the quarterly crime statistics, reflecting on crimes that occurred during the first quarter of the 2026-27 financial year (April 2026 – June 2026).
The crime stats show notable decreases in several of the country’s most serious contact crimes. Murder has declined, marking another consecutive quarter in which this crime has shown a downward trajectory.
The stats show that 5 427 cases of murder were recorded during this quarter, compared to 5 770 cases in the same period last year. This is a decrease of 343.
During this period, the country also experienced significant reductions in crimes such as carjacking, residential robberies, business robberies and cash-in-transit robberies.
In the contact crimes category (crimes against the person), only attempted murder (6 958 vs 6 401), assault with the intent to inflict grievous bodily harm (38 589 vs 37 659) and common assault (42 491 vs 41 661) showed an increase.
All provinces except for North West and the Western Cape recorded an increase in attempted murder cases, while only three provinces (North West, Northern Cape and the Western Cape) recorded a decrease in common assault.
The top 10 police stations for contact crimes in South Africa are Inanda, Mfuleni, Delft, Tembisa, Nyanga, Mitchells Plain, Plessislaer, Kraaifontein, Umlazi and Ivory Park.
While the country has recorded a decrease in certain serious crimes, Cachalia says the numbers do not erase South Africans’ lived experiences.
“We must remain honest with ourselves and with the South African public. While percentage decreases are encouraging, they do not erase the reality that far too many South Africans continue to lose their lives through violent crime,” said Cachalia.
“Every murder remains one too many. Every victim deserves justice. We are also concerned about crime categories that have increased during the reporting period, particularly those affecting women, children and other vulnerable members of society. Gender-Based Violence and Femicide continue to demand urgent attention from every sector of society.”
Extortion is still a challenge in the country, with a total of 519 cases recorded during the three-month period in focus.
Financial extortion remains common, with 291 cases recorded during this period. Ransom is the most common, with 73 cases. This crime is most prevalent in Gauteng, with 45 cases, followed by KwaZulu-Natal with 10 and the Western Cape with eight.
Gauteng also recorded the highest number of corruption-related financial extortion, with 36 cases, followed by assassination-related financial extortion, with 28 cases and financial extortion related to threats to harm victims, with 21 cases.
Another type of extortion, protection rackets (including the construction mafia, businesses, and taxis), recorded 112 cases during this period. Protection fees were the most common form of this type of extortion, with 85 cases, and were most prevalent in the Western Cape.
The third type of extortion, blackmail, recorded 106 cases during this period. Of these, 84 were cases in which perpetrators threatened to reveal or publish compromising information, photos or footage of their victims. 22 cases involved people demanding money not to open or to withdraw a criminal case, while others demanded money in exchange for not testifying in court proceedings.
Six cases of cyber extortion were recorded during this period. Cyber extortion involves cyberattacks, data theft, hacking, and phishing.
This week, the International Criminal Police Organisation (Interpol) warned of emerging crime trends, including a rise in West African organised crime groups using sextortion to target minors, with victims as young as 14.
According to Interpol, offenders typically contact minors via social media, build trust and coerce them into sharing explicit images or videos. They then threaten to distribute this material to the victim’s contacts unless a ransom is paid.
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