Domestic violence - calls for help on the rise

Domestic violence - calls for help on the rise

26 September 2026

The City’s Public Emergency Communication Centre recorded a 45% increase in domestic violence calls in the last financial year. The trend has been on an upward curve in recent years, as more survivors reach out for assistance.

The Public Emergency Communication Centre recorded 4 464 calls linked to domestic violence two years ago. 

In the most recent 12-month reporting period (2025/2026), the number of calls increased by 45% to 6 487. 

'The increase in the rate of reporting is likely a combination of the continued assault on women and children, but also more survivors speaking up. The City continues to do everything possible within its mandate to assist vulnerable groups, but like so many other public safety crises in our country, the level of enforcement and resourcing doesn’t always match the scale of the issue. 

‘We are two months away from the annual 16 Days of Activism Campaign against Gender-Based Violence, and for the last few weeks, GBV has dominated the national discourse. But we need to do more than talk – justice for vulnerable groups demands effective resourcing, swift arrests and prosecutions and maximum sentences that act as an effective deterrent,' said Mayoral Committee Member for Safety and Security, Alderman JP Smith. 

Emergency call-takers are trained to assess the situation, based on information relayed by the caller, activating a response. 

Call-takers are also trained in the relevant legislation and related procedures to be able to advise callers on their rights and next steps. 

Based on service requests created through the Emergency Policing and Incident Command (EPIC) system, which is the Safety and Security Directorate’s centralised dispatch system, the suburbs with the highest number of calls related to domestic violence in the last financial year were:

  • Tafelsig – 6,8%
  • Wesbank – 3,6%
  • Manenberg -  2,8%
  • Sherwood Park – 2,7%
  • Eastridge – 2,4%
  • Bonteheuwel – 2,3%
  • Hanover Park – 2,3%
  • Delft South – 2,1%
  • Saxonsea – 2,1%
  • The Hague – 2,0%

The City’s Metro Police Department responded to 941 incidents of domestic violence over the period, resulting in 126 arrests. 

In many instances, suspects leave the premises before officers arrive, or the complainants decline to lay charges.

In such instances, officers either assist with removing the suspect to a different location, or they advise the complainant on steps to take to secure a protection order in terms of the Domestic Violence Act, 1998.

'It’s critical to remind ourselves that domestic or gender-based violence doesn’t happen only within intimate relationships. The City has countless incidents on record where the aggressors were members of households, threatening parents or other family members. These conflicts do not happen in isolation – in many cases, alcohol or substance abuse are factors – and it is a difficult space to enforce, particularly where complainants are loathe to lay charges or pursue protection orders. This scourge requires a whole-of-society approach that goes far beyond that first emergency call and the resultant enforcement response,' said Alderman Smith. 

The public is reminded to save the PECC number on their cellphones – 021 480 7700 for cases of emergencies. 

You can also utilise the Safety and Security addition to the City App that allows residents to log non-emergency related incidents directly to enforcement departments. This frees up valuable time for our call-takers to assist residents who are in life-threatening situations. 

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