Note to Editors: Please note Riona Gokool, MPL sound bite in English
KwaZulu-Natal’s (KZN) latest crime statistics, released yesterday, paint a mixed but important picture for our province. While there is a welcome 13.1% decrease in murder cases – contributing to a national decline of 8.7% – overall crime levels remain far too high and KZN’s communities continue to live in fear.
As committed members of KZN’s Government of Provincial Unity (GPU), the DA acknowledges that progress is possible when government works together across party lines. However, statistics alone do not equal safety and KZN’s people must feel safer in their homes, businesses and public spaces and regrettably.
The DA believes the recent statistics confirm three urgent challenges facing our province: Organised violent crime, illegal firearms and weak investigative capacity. While contact crimes have declined nationally, attempted murder and violent assaults statistics remain deeply concerning, showing that criminals still operate with confidence.
The DA’s solutions for crime in KZN are clear and practical:
• Professionalise policing and strengthen detectives: More skilled investigators and better case management are needed to improve conviction rates. Criminals fear consequences, not statistics
• Target illegal firearms aggressively through coordinated provincial operations between SAPS, metro police and border enforcement. Illegal guns remain a primary driver of violent crime
• Expand community-based safety partnerships by properly supporting Community Policing Forums (CPFs), neighbourhood watches and trained community patrollers to restore visible policing
• Data-driven hotspot policing focused on eThekwini and other affected districts, ensuring resources follow crime trends and;
• Promote safer economic zones by protecting small businesses, transport routes and tourism hubs. Economic growth and safety go hand in hand.
KZN’s GPU has shown that progress is achievable. The next step is to ensure that declining statistics translate into safer streets, stronger communities and renewed public confidence in law enforcement.
As a GPU partner, the DA will push for a move from coordination to decisive implementation as part of our commitment to constructive cooperation that delivers measurable safety improvements for KZN’s people.