HOEDSPRUIT – Hoedspruit recorded no murders and a significant drop in reported rape cases during the first quarter of the 2026/27 financial year, according to crime statistics released by the SAPS in Limpopo.

The Hoedspruit Police Station recorded three sexual offences between April and June 2026, down from six during the same period last year. Rape cases dropped from six to two, while no cases of attempted sexual offences or sexual assault were recorded.

Robbery and assault on the rise

However, some categories increased during the quarter. Common assault rose from 14 cases in the first quarter of 2025/26 to 18, while common robbery increased sharply from one case to 12.

Contact crime in Hoedspruit increased marginally from 44 cases during April to June 2025 to 45 cases during the same period this year.

Contact crimes, also referred to as “crimes against the person,” include offences such as murder, sexual offences, attempted murder, assault and robbery.

Provincial trends outlined in Polokwane

The statistics were released during the official Limpopo first-quarter crime statistics briefing held in Polokwane on Monday, where provincial commissioner Lieutenant General Jan Scheepers and former Transport and Community Safety MEC Violet Mathye outlined the province’s crime trends for the period.

Provincially, SAPS recorded a 4.5% drop in contact crime, with contact-related crime down 1.1% and property-related crime down 8.9%.

Other serious crimes rose 3.7%, though the broader category of 17 community-reported serious crimes fell 3%.

Scheepers attributed the decline in violent crime to intensified policing, crime prevention initiatives and cooperation between SAPS, communities and other stakeholders. However, he cautioned that falling crime statistics don’t automatically translate into residents feeling safer.

“SAPS must translate statistical improvements into tangible safety outcomes for residents in their homes, communities and workplaces,” he said.

Property crime and drug offences up

In Hoedspruit, property-related crime rose from 10 cases to 14 year-on-year.

Residential burglaries increased from three to seven, and theft from motor vehicles rose from zero to four, while non-residential burglaries fell from five to one and no vehicle or motorcycle thefts were recorded.

Drug-related crime detected through police action rose from 20 to 24 cases, and driving under the influence increased from two to six.

Trio crimes decline provincially

Provincially, common robbery fell 12.8%, robbery with aggravating circumstances 23.9%, residential robbery 33.3% and non-residential robbery 7.5% – contributing to a 23.1% decline in trio crimes, alongside a drop in carjackings.

Limpopo continued to record one of the country’s lowest murder rates, at roughly three per 100 000 people.