Western Cape Provincial Commissioner General Thembisile Patekile during the release of the province’s fourth quarter crime statistics in Cape Town on Thursday.
Cape Town has accounted for nearly 80% of all the murders in the Western Cape, the latest crime stats has shown.
Provincial SAPS on Thursday reported an 8% decrease in murders across the province during the first three months of 2026. But this comes amid ongoing deadly shootings, gang violence, and extortion-linked killings weeks after Operation Prosper was launched.
Speaking during the release of the province’s fourth quarter crime statistics in Cape Town, Provincial Commissioner Lieutenant-General Thembisile Patekile said while reductions were recorded in several violent crime categories, crime levels in the province remained alarmingly high.
"Illegal firearms continue to drive murders, attempted murders, robberies, and other violent crimes," he said.
