South Africa
1Min
Johannesburg
Oct 15, 2025
The Democratic Alliance (DA) has urged SAPS to include full data on gender-based violence and crimes against children in the 2025/26 first-quarter crime stats. DA spokesperson Lisa Schickerling said withholding this data limits transparency and accountability, preventing effective action to protect vulnerable groups.
The Democratic Alliance (DA) has urged the South African Police Service (SAPS) to include full and accurate data on gender-based violence (GBV) and crimes against children. It called on the SAPS to provide comprehensive crime data, with no exceptions, no omissions, and no excuses.
The South African Police Service will on Friday release the first quarter crime statistics for 2025/26. According to the DA, these statistics were long overdue and highlight the ongoing collapse of SAPS, both in accountability and operational capacity.
The DA has raised concerns about the exclusion of crimes against women and children from national crime statistics. Without this data, government and civil society cannot track progress, allocate resources, or respond effectively to protect our most vulnerable.
“The lives of women and children are at stake, and every omission erases their reality. Anything less would be a failure of transparency and accountability in a country facing a GBV and child crime crisis,” said DA Spokesperson on Police, Lisa Schickerling.
“South Africans deserve the full picture of crime in their communities. The DA will monitor Friday’s release closely. Partial reporting or attempts to obscure the experiences of women and children will not be accepted. SAPS must provide complete disclosure and explain the reasons for previous delays and omissions. Transparency in crime reporting is both a legal duty and a moral imperative,” said Schickerling.
