Gauteng murder rate drops 10.7% as committee demands firearm crackdown

Murder in Gauteng dropped by 10.7% during the first quarter of the 2026/27 financial year, but the provincial legislature has warned that the decline should not create a false sense of security.

The Gauteng Provincial Legislature’s Portfolio Committee on Community Safety received the latest crime statistics from acting provincial police commissioner Major General Fred Kekana on Friday.

The statistics, covering April to June 2026, show declines across several major crime categories.

Gender-based violence and femicide declined by 9.1%, contact-related crimes by 3.2%, property-related crimes by 2.7% and other serious crimes by 0.6%.

The committee said the murder reduction was significant, but raised concern over the continued role of firearms in violent crime.

During the period under review, firearms were involved in 652 murder cases in Gauteng.

Police recovered 282 firearms, including 22 rifles and nine shotguns.

The committee called for a more aggressive and sustained campaign to remove illegal firearms from communities, including intelligence-driven operations targeting firearm trafficking, illegal firearm networks and people unlawfully possessing or using guns.

It also welcomed the anticipated establishment of a dedicated firearm unit within the South African Police Service, saying a specialised unit could strengthen efforts to trace and recover illegal firearms and disrupt networks involved in firearm-related crime.

The committee said it would continue advocating for a “Gun-Free Gauteng”, arguing that every illegal firearm removed from circulation could prevent further loss of life.

Operation Shanela also recorded significant activity during the quarter, with 38,564 arrests, including 14,256 arrests of undocumented migrants. The operation also resulted in 148 murder arrests and 279 arrests for robbery, among other offences.

However, the committee raised serious concerns about the performance of Honeydew Police Station, which it said was the worst-performing police station in Gauteng and the fourth worst nationally.

It called for a dedicated intervention at the station to establish the reasons for its poor performance and develop a measurable turnaround strategy.

The committee has also resolved to convene an Imbizo in the Honeydew area, bringing together residents, community policing structures, law-enforcement agencies and other stakeholders to address crime in the area.

Committee chairperson Bandile Masuku said the provincial decline in crime must ultimately translate into safer communities.

The committee said it would continue exercising oversight over the SAPS and other law-enforcement structures to ensure the positive trend is sustained and underperforming police stations receive targeted interventions.