The true scale of violence against women remains unclear, says Amnesty International South Africa Executive Director Shenilla Mohamed, as the latest SAPS crime statistics recorded 9,201 reported rapes between April and June, a 0.3% decline from the same period last year.
The figures mean that about 100 rapes were reported to police every day during the three-month period, despite the slight year-on-year decline.
The latest statistics also recorded 11,532 sexual offences, a broader category that includes rape and other sexual crimes, down 0.8% compared with the same period last year.
Acting Police Minister Firoz Cachalia released the South African Police Service (SAPS) crime figures this week, covering April to June 2026.
While murder, carjacking and several serious robbery categories declined, Cachalia said crime categories affecting women, children and other vulnerable members of society remained a concern.
He said Gender-Based Violence and Femicide continued to demand urgent attention from every sector of society.
But Amnesty warned that the published figures do not provide the full picture of violence against women because SAPS has suspended the publication of some disaggregated crime data relating to women and children.
“Despite a slight decrease in the number of reported sexual offences, including rape, the number of these cases still remains a concern,” Mohamed said.
Cachalia said murder, carjacking, residential robbery, business robbery and cash-in-transit robbery had all recorded notable declines.
However he added, "We are also concerned about crime categories that have increased during the reporting period, particularly those affecting women, children and other vulnerable members of society. Gender-Based Violence and Femicide continues to demand urgent attention from every sector of society.
"The month of August is celebrated as ‘Women’s Month’. The protection of women and children and other vulnerable persons remains a national policing priority requiring sustained investment and prevention, victim support, investigation and prosecution."
The warning comes against the backdrop of years of concern over the scale of violence against women and children in South Africa. President Cyril Ramaphosa has previously described GBV as a “second pandemic”.
He acknowledged that: "Crime statistics are not merely numbers on a page. Behind every statistic is a victim, a grieving family, a traumatised community and, in far too many cases, a life that can never be replaced. We remain mindful that while statistics help us measure performance, our ultimate responsibility is to protect the people of South Africa and to restore their confidence in the ability of the State to keep them safe."
The figures show reductions in several of the crimes that cause widespread fear in communities, which Cachalia attributed to intelligence-led policing, targeted operations and greater cooperation between law-enforcement agencies. But he cautioned that the improvements did not mean the country’s crime problem had been solved.
“These statistics therefore tell us two important things simultaneously: progress is possible, but our work is far from complete,” he said.
"... we must remain honest with ourselves and with the South African public. While percentage decreases are encouraging, they do not erase the reality that far too many South Africans continue to lose their lives through violent crime. Every murder remains one too many. Every victim deserves justice."
GBVF remains a national crisis
The scale of reported sexual violence remains a major concern, despite the slight decline in rape and sexual offences.
The latest figures come nine months after South Africa classified GBVF as a national disaster.
The declaration followed years of campaigning and public pressure calling for the government to treat gender-based violence as a national emergency.
South Africa also has a National Strategic Plan on Gender-Based Violence and Femicide, which runs to 2030 and sets out a coordinated approach covering prevention, justice, survivor support, economic empowerment and research.
However, Amnesty International South Africa Executive Director Shenilla Mohamed said the number of reported sexual offences remained deeply concerning despite the slight decline.
Mohamed said the slight decline in reported cases should not obscure the scale of the problem, while warning that the full extent of violence against women remains unclear because SAPS has suspended the publication of some disaggregated crime data.
“However, the full scale of violence against women remains unclear,” Mohamed said.
She said reliable data was “not a technical detail” but “a prerequisite for accountability”, arguing that missing information on the killings and assaults of women undermined efforts to prevent violence, allocate resources and hold perpetrators to account.
The warning about other limitations of the official figures has also been raised by civil society organisations.
Soul City Institute CEO Phinah Kodisang has previously warned that distrust of the police means many incidents of violence against women and children go unreported.
“There is generally a distrust of the police. So, people don't go and report and therefore whatever numbers that we see, are not a true reflection of the levels of violence women and children face in our country,” Kodisang said.
Her comments underline the gap between reported crime and the potential scale of violence that remains hidden from official statistics.
Nine months after the national disaster declaration
Declaring GBVF a national disaster was intended to strengthen coordination and enable a more urgent national response.
The classification placed greater focus on coordinated action across government and other sectors dealing with prevention, policing, justice, health and social support.
Nine months later, the protection of women, children and other vulnerable people remains a major challenge for law enforcement and the wider government response to violent crime.
Cachalia said SAPS would prioritise 140 high-crime police station precincts, which will receive targeted operational support, enhanced oversight and improved resource allocation.
He said senior SAPS leadership reviews the crime picture every Monday to assess shifts in crime patterns and whether policing resources are having an impact.
Meanwhile, at an Operation Basadi Parade in Rosslyn, north of Pretoria, on Friday, Acting National Commissioner of SAPS Lieutenant General Puleng Dimpane said the police themselves must maintain high ethical standards if they are to retain public confidence.
She called on policewomen to challenge unethical behaviour, mentor younger members and strengthen accountability, warning that “there can be no credibility in protecting communities from violence while tolerating misconduct, abuse or unethical behaviour within the organisation”.
Alcohol remains a major driver of violence
Cachalia also identified alcohol as a significant driver of violence in South Africa.
He said serious violence often concentrates over weekends, at night and around liquor outlets, particularly unlicensed premises.
“A substantial proportion of our murders and serious assaults involve people who were drinking,” he said.
Cachalia said South Africa could not simply arrest its way out of the problem.
He called for stronger enforcement of liquor licensing and municipal by-laws, alongside a wider national conversation about alcohol and violence.
He also said joint operations with the South African National Defence Force would continue against organised crime, extortion syndicates, kidnapping networks, illegal mining and gangsterism.
The challenge ahead
The latest figures show declines in several serious crime categories, while SAPS says it will target 140 high-crime precincts and strengthen intelligence-led policing.
But the 9,201 reported rapes recorded in just three months underline the scale of the challenge facing the country.
As Women’s Month comes to an end, the figures also highlight the gap between progress in some categories of violent crime and the continuing crisis of violence against women.
Nine months after GBVF was classified as a national disaster, Amnesty International is warning that the full scale of that violence cannot even be measured properly while disaggregated data remains unavailable.
And the vision as per Cachalia: "one where children can walk safely to school, where businesses can operate without fear, where women feel secure in their homes and public spaces, and where every community has confidence in those entrusted with their protection," is still to be achieved.