Murder in South Africa
SAPS recorded 23,096 murder cases across South Africa in Apr 2025–Mar 2026, down 9.1% vs Apr 2024–Mar 2025.
Latest quarter (Jan–Mar 2026): 5,181 murder cases, down 9.5% vs Jan–Mar 2025.
Ranked by province below.
Note: Raw reported counts — not adjusted for population. Provinces with more residents will naturally report more cases.
National trend
Murder by province
Bars coloured by direction vs the previous year: green = improved, red = worsened, grey = within ±2%. Sorted by Apr 2025–Mar 2026 count.
| Province | Apr 2025–Mar 2026 | vs Apr 2024–Mar 2025 |
|---|---|---|
| Gauteng | 5,631 | -8.3% |
| KwaZulu-Natal | 4,743 | -14.8% |
| Western Cape | 4,448 | -0.4% |
| Eastern Cape | 4,347 | -9.5% |
| Mpumalanga | 1,053 | -15.9% |
| North West | 976 | -11.2% |
| Free State | 794 | -11.3% |
| Limpopo | 769 | -6.6% |
| Northern Cape | 335 | -10.7% |