Free State murder and sexual offences drop sharply

Violent crime took a meaningful hit across the Free State, but attempted murder and carjackings quietly crept upward during the same window.

Q3 2025 contact crime numbers

• Murder fell 13.3% across the Free State.
• Sexual offences slid down by 9.4%.
• Assault GBH dipped 8.1% province-wide.
• Common assault shrank by 11.6%.

Where killings keep happening

• Most murders occurred at homes or liquor spots.
• Alcohol keeps fueling interpersonal violence there.
• Streets and open fields remain hotspots.

Crimes still climbing despite the wins

• Attempted murder jumped 4.8% this quarter.
• Carjackings and kidnappings stayed problematic regionally.
• Modise flagged these for targeted crackdowns.

Mbalula's pitch to Free State residents

• Jabu Mbalula credited beefed-up police visibility.
• Festive-season deployments helped swing the numbers.
• Farm-attack arrests and Operation Shanela contributed.
• His warning to criminals was blunt.

Gender-based violence crackdown angle

• A Provincial GBV Desk monitors station compliance.
• Victim-friendly rooms got mandated at police stations.
• Mbalula framed domestic abuse as systemic violence.

Courts are throwing the book at offenders

• Life sentences were handed down for murders and rapes.
• Terms stretched up to 55 years for some.
• Child-crime convictions drew equally harsh punishment.