Crime stats down, but sexual offences on the increase in Eastern Cape

A decline in violent crime across much of the Eastern Cape has been tempered by a troubling rise in sexual offences, particularly in communities already grappling with poverty and limited policing resources. That was the stark picture painted on Tuesday when community safety MEC Xolile Nqatha released provincial crime statistics for the first and second quarters of the 2025/2026 financial year, alongside acting provincial police commissioner Major-General Thandiswa Kupiso at the SAPS provincial headquarters in Zwelitsha. While the overall numbers suggest progress in the fight against serious crime, the data shows that women and children remain at serious risk, with rape and attempted sexual offences increasing in several districts — especially in OR Tambo and parts of Amathole.

The statistics identify Buffalo City, Nelson Mandela Bay and the OR Tambo district as the province’s biggest contributors to reported crime in both quarters under review, despite each recording declines in certain categories. For the first quarter, covering April to June 2025, Nelson Mandela Bay accounted for 21.5% of reported serious crimes, followed by Buffalo City at 19.2% and OR Tambo at 14.4%. In the second quarter, from July to September 2025, Nelson Mandela Bay remained the highest contributor at 20.6%, Buffalo City rose slightly to 19.6% and OR Tambo increased to 15%.

Although five of the province’s eight districts recorded decreases in serious crimes in the first quarter, and similar trends were seen in the second quarter, these three districts remained “head and shoulders above the rest” in terms of overall case volumes. The first quarter saw a notable reduction in some of the most violent crimes. Murder cases dropped by 100 compared with the same period in 2024/2025, while aggravated robbery recorded the biggest decline, falling by 712 cases.

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However, sexual offences moved in the opposite direction. Sexual offence cases increased by 16% in the first quarter compared with the previous year. This trend continued into the second quarter, where total sexual offences increased by 16 cases, a rise of 4.8%.

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