KZN recorded 1 179 murders in three months, despite a 1.7% decline in the provincial murder rate compared with the same period last year, as reported by The Witness.

Acting provincial police commissioner Major General GP Makoba warned that the number of people killed remained ‘too high’, with arguments, road rage and retaliation increasingly turning ordinary disputes into deadly encounters.

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Makoba made these remarks when she released the crime stats for the first quarter of the 2026/27 financial year on Friday.

She said 124 murders and 422 attempted murders during the quarter were linked to arguments, misunderstandings, road rage and provocation.

“Our communities and public roads are turning into anger-charged societies where any argument or misunderstanding can turn violent and, at worst, fatal,” she said.

She warned that the decline in murders could not be regarded as a victory while more than 1 000 people were still being killed every quarter.

“We cannot normalise this and be happy that the crime of murder has gone down. Police can do as much as they can, but without the active participation of community members in crime prevention endeavours, criminals will continue to terrorise our communities.

Makoba said some murders were linked to retaliation, revenge, punishment, vigilantism and mob justice, robberies, gang and taxi violence, hijackings and people intervening in arguments or other crimes.

She added that some of these murders could have been prevented if people were patient with each other and found amicable solutions to their misunderstandings.

Murder figures varied sharply between police stations, with Inanda recording the biggest decrease in murders, a 19.2% drop, followed by uMlazi with six fewer murders and eSikhaleni with five.

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However, Cato Manor recorded 20 more murders, prompting police management to urgently intervene.

Other increases were recorded at Ntuzuma, with 12 additional murders, Empangeni with 11 and Vryheid with seven.

Plessislaer police station in the uMgungundlovu District recorded eight murders during the quarter.

Firearms remained a major concern, with police saying they were used in many murders.

“Community members know people with illegal firearms but some of them choose to keep quiet. Let us expose criminals so our communities can be safe.

KZN also recorded 1 820 rape case, a decrease by 24 cases (1.3%) from the same period last year.

Makoba warned against complacency, noting the province had recorded more than 1 800 rapes in the same quarter for the past three years.

Inanda SAPS remained KZN’s rape hotspot with an increase of 31.6%. Pietermaritzburg SAPS recorded an increase of 12 rape cases.

Mountain Rise and Plessislaer police stations saw a decrease in rape cases during this period.

Meanwhile, 9 282 common assault and assault GBH cases were reported across the province, an 8.3% increase.

Of these, 4 011 were linked to domestic violence, which was also associated with 46 deaths, 115 attempted murders and 881 cases of malicious damage to property.

Police said property-related crimes, including residential and non-residential burglaries and stock theft, dropped.

Since January, 112 397 suspects have been arrested through Operation Shanela, other operations and routine policing. Police also recovered 2 487 firearms and 29 353 rounds of ammunition.

With the 2026 Local Government Elections approaching, Makoba warned political parties against violence.

“We urge political parties to be tolerant of each other and compete without violence. Do not eliminate competition by killing each other. Do not intimidate one another to gain the upper hand,” she said.

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