African National Congress (ANC) President Cyril Ramaphosa has expressed his concern about the rising levels of crime in the country.
He was speaking in Hammarsdale, west of Durban, during an ANC election campaign.
Ramaphosa referred to the mass shooting in KwaMakhutha in the south of Durban in which 11 people were killed on Tuesday night, while a 12th victim died in hospital earlier Friday.
He says the police are doing a lot to clamp down on crime.
“The act of criminality where there are massacres is also a matter that is of great concern. We are facing rising crime, much as elsewhere is going down, but we still have criminality in a number of areas. So, we are focusing on ensuring the safety of the women of our country and we bring criminality to an end and the police are doing a lot of work to bring down the level of crime in our country and they need to be helped. We want to engage community members through various structures, including community policing forums.”
ANC President Cde Cyril Ramaphosa continues his door-to-door campaign in Hammarsdale, eThekwini, KwaZulu-Natal, engaging residents directly on their experiences, concerns and priorities for their communities.#VoteANC2026 #LetsBuildBetterCommunities pic.twitter.com/JinnBMxA1j
— ANC – African National Congress (@MYANC) September 25, 2026
Ramaphosa says he empathizes with women who are fearful after nine bodies of women were found in Ekurhuleni over the past two months.
“Well, there’s gender-based violence and femicide, which are rife in our county, and what happened in Ekurhuleni has really disturbed many people. The women of our county are filled with fear; they are fearful. I understand that, and I empathize. We are working on initiatives that we will talk about later, about how we can further instill confidence and create a sense of safety amongst our women.”
[WATCH] ANC President Cde Cyril Ramaphosa reflects on concerns around gender-based violence and crime, calling for stronger cooperation between communities and the police to improve the safety of women across South Africa.#LetsBuildBetterCommunities pic.twitter.com/uFIlFml9P1
— ANC – African National Congress (@MYANC) September 25, 2026
