KwaZulu-Natal’s Police Commissioner, Lieutenant General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi, has acknowledged a slight drop in crime rates but warned that many communities in the province remain under siege by violent criminals.
Speaking at the SAPS provincial headquarters in Durban on Monday, Mkhwanazi revealed that 105 suspects were killed in 38 shootouts with police between April and December last year. During the same period, four officers lost their lives in the line of duty.
“In this figure that I am reporting, 4,278 people were killed in this province in nine months — and only 105 criminals died. It means criminals are at war with the citizens,” he said.
Mkhwanazi highlighted that while murder and rape remain major concerns, it is the daily, less-publicised contact crimes that make up the bulk of police casework. Between April and December 2023, over 88,000 contact crime cases were reported in the province — an increase of 3,103 compared to the previous year.
“These are cases you might take for granted, like common assault, but they contribute significantly to our caseload. Whether or not they are easy to finalise in court, they add to the strain on our resources,” he explained.
The commissioner reaffirmed SAPS’s commitment to ensuring public safety but stressed the importance of community cooperation in combatting crime across KwaZulu-Natal.