The Democratic Alliance in the Northern Cape calls on provincial police commissioner, Lt-General Otola, to prioritise the implementation of local safety strategies as the latest crime statistics confirmed continued increases in contact crimes. Both the South African Police Services (SAPS) and community safety fora must be strengthened, properly capacitated, and adequately resourced so that those who disobey our country’s laws can be caught, convicted, and removed from our communities.
Crime statistics for the first quarter of 2026 shows that the Northern Cape is one of only three provinces with an increase in contact crimes from April to June 2026 and, at 6.7%, had the highest increase in this category of crime in the country. The province also recorded the highest increase in rape cases, as 43.3% more cases were reported than in the prior quarter.
These statistics confirm that residents remain vulnerable to murder, sexual violence, aggression, and harm that have no place in a healthy society.
Nearly a third of rape cases in the province occurred in public places, emphasising the critical need for safer public spaces and recreational facilities. Local governments must perform their basic obligations of maintaining municipal recreational facilities, repairing broken streetlights as soon as possible, and clearing parks from overgrown shrubs or long grass that provides safe cover for criminals.
We welcome the convictions of criminals in this quarter, including hefty sentences handed down by the courts in Kuruman and Upington for three men convicted of raping children. We appreciate the dedication of police officers and prosecutorial teams whose hard works culminated in these outcomes.
But the reality is that, unless SAPS and CPFs are properly capacitated, we will never succeed in securing justice for every victim of violent harm.
A DA government will bring policing closer to the people, and give capable towns more powers, officers, and tools to fight crime.