The Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU) is encouraged by the recent positive fall in some serious crimes in the latest quarterly crime statistics released for April to June 2026 showing a 5.9% decline in murders, 16.4% decline in trio crimes including 18.2% decline in carjackings, 17.6% in house robberies and 21% in truck hijackings.
This shows that progress is possible. We commend the members of the South African Police Service (SAPS) and the South African National Defence Force who conducted over 440,000 high visibility patrols and 520,000 stop and searches during this quarter. We applaud the Police and Prisons’ Civil Rights Union (POPCRU)’s tireless leadership in these struggles. Their collective hard work is beginning to bear fruit and should be given their full support by government and society.
However, we dare not become complacent. Crime remains unacceptably high, especially for working class communities. 5,427 murders in 90 days is far too many. Each murder is a life and a worker lost, a family devastated and often robbed of a breadwinner, and a community left traumatised.
We must be deeply concerned by the 8.7% increase in attempted murders and increases in assault. The minor decrease in sexual offences by 0.8% gives cold comfort, more so knowing that most gender-based violence (GBV) crimes are never reported to the police. Behind each reported rape are many more women and children suffering in silence. GBV remains a national shame that demands decisive action.
If we are to attract the investment needed to grow the economy and create decent jobs, then we must drastically reduce crime and corruption. No investor will invest in a community or country where workers are not safe coming to and from work, where trucks are hijacked and shops robbed, where bribes may be demanded to facilitate ordinary public services.
If we are to win this war against crime and corruption, it is critical that:
- Additional support and resources for the SAPS, the National Prosecuting Authority, the Judiciary and Correctional Services, in particular hiring detectives, prosecutors, magistrates and other frontline personnel; investing in skills and training, modern forensic laboratories and databases, state of the art communications equipment, working vehicles; and secure police stations, courts and prisons.
- An end to austerity budget cuts that have hollowed out frontline public services. You cannot fight crime when police stations lack working vehicles, rape kits, body armour, regular training, secure cells or when detectives are overwhelmed by the number of cases they are tasked to investigate.
- Further tightening of our criminal laws for those charged with or convicted of serious crimes, including murder, rape, gender-based violence, gang and political killings, and attacks on police and law enforcement officers and the aggressive enforcement of our criminal laws. An attack on a police officer must be treated as an attack on the state itself and lead to life sentences.
- We intensify intelligence-led, targeted policing in the small number of precincts that drive most violent crime, and the aggressive enforcement against illegal liquor outlets and illegal firearms that fuel murder.
- Ramped up collaboration between SAPS, the Hawks, State Security Agency and the South African Revenue Service to tackle the flood of illicit goods into the economy, in particular weapons, drugs, alcohol, tobacco, fuel, clothing, cars and other products.
COSATU will continue to work with government, business and communities to make South Africa safe for all, especially for workers, women and children and to ensure that our law enforcement personnel have the tools needed to win this war.
Issued by COSATU
Matthew Parks (COSATU Parliamentary Coordinator)
Mobile: 082 785 0687
Email: matthew@cosatu.org.za