Community Policing Forum (CPF) leaders from Nyanga and Khayelitsha have expressed concern over the latest Fourth Quarter Crime Statistics, released on Friday, 22 May, by the acting Police Minister Firoz Cachalia in Pretoria.

The statistics cover the period from January to March 2026 and were compared with the same period last year. CPF leaders believe more still needs to be done to improve safety in their communities.

The City Vision focused on three crime categories: murder, rape and carjacking.

Mfuleni records highest murder increase in Western Cape

In the murder category, Mfuleni Police Station ranked third nationally and first in the province. Between January and March 2025, the station recorded 65 murder cases, compared with 53 cases registered last year, an increase of 12 cases which constituted 18.5%.

Khayelitsha Police Station ranked sixth nationally and fourth in the province, with 48 murder cases reported this year compared with 38 last year, reflecting an increase of 10 cases.

In the rape category, Nyanga Police Station ranked 14th nationally and second in the province, with 42 rape cases reported this year compared with 35 last year, an increase of seven cases.

Khayelitsha Police Station ranked 20th nationally and fifth in the province. The station recorded 39 rape cases this year, up from 37 cases last year, representing an increase of two cases.

Lingelethu-West among top carjacking hotspots

For carjacking cases, Lingelethu-West Police Station ranked fourth nationally and second in the province, with 54 cases reported this year compared with 50 last year, an increase of four cases.

It was followed by Harare Police Station, which recorded 40 cases compared with 39 last year. Harare ranked 11th nationally and third in the province.

Nyanga ranked 25th nationally and fourth in the province. Carjacking cases dropped from 48 last year to 31 this year, a decrease of 17 cases.

Meanwhile, Khayelitsha Police Station ranked 30th nationally and fifth in the province, with 27 carjacking cases reported this year compared with 22 last year, an increase of five cases.

Khayelitsha CPF public relations officer Mzolisi Malungisa said the figures were concerning.

“Looking at all three categories, there is a slight increase in all of them, and that is not good. That means we still have a lot of work that needs to be done. There are various factors affecting our communities, and the way things happen in our communities is abnormal,” he said.

Malungisa said extortion-related shootings were contributing significantly to the murder rate in the Khayelitsha policing precinct.

Alcohol abuse blamed for rising rape cases

He also pointed to alcohol abuse as a major factor in rape cases.

“In many instances, rape incidents occur while people are under the influence of liquor. Sometimes they happen in social spaces,” he said.

However, he stressed the need for proactive measures to curb crime.

Nyanga community praised for reducing murder cases

Nyanga CPF secretary Dumisani Qwebe praised the Nyanga community for helping to reduce crime in the area. He said the fact that Nyanga was no longer among the top 10 areas for murder was a significant achievement.

“Nyanga was known as the murder capital, and it had been leading for many years. The only secret was working together with everyone, including taxi associations,” he said.

Qwebe also agreed that alcohol abuse played a major role in the increase in rape cases and urged the City to enforce bylaws against illegal shebeens more strictly.