134 people killed in Buffalo City Metro in three months

Buffalo City Metro saw a 20.7% surge in murders, with 134 people killed between October and December 2025. The DA in the Eastern Cape sounded alarm bells over kidnappings and violent crime, which it says is still out of control in the province. DA MPL Yusuf Cassim described the province as “a rape and murder capital”.

Cassim was reacting tothe third-quarter statistics released by police minister Firoz Cachaliain Pretoria on Friday. “The third-quarter crime statisticscovering the period of October to December 2025, released today [Friday], show that kidnappings and violent crime remain deeply entrenched in the Eastern Cape,” Cassim said. “These figures again reinforce the urgent need for a permanent 24-hour joint operations centre in Nelson Mandela Bay.

“A total of 185 kidnappings were reported in just three months, confirming that organised crime and violent syndicates continue to operate with alarming reach in the province. “Though this represents a decline from 205 cases recorded during the same period last year, the scale of the problem remains severe and demands coordinated law enforcement intervention. “The impact is most visible in the province’s major metros.” Nelson Mandela Bay saw a rise in kidnappings, recording 69 cases, up from the previous period.

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Buffalo City reported a decline in cases, with 24 kidnappings, down from 47 previously. Cassim said the figures confirmed that urban centres remain key hotspots for organised criminal activity and validated the DA’s call for the establishment of a permanent joint operations centre in Nelson Mandela Bay.

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