Cape Town domestic-violence calls rise 45%, Tafelsig records largest share - IOL
Tafelsig recorded the highest share of domestic-violence calls received by the City of Cape Town’s emergency centre in 2025/26.
Domestic violence calls to the City of Cape Town jumped by 45% in the past financial year, with Tafelsig accounting for the largest share of calls for help across the city.
Figures released by the City show its Public Emergency Communication Centre recorded 6,487 domestic violence calls during the 2025/26 financial year, up from 4,464 the previous year.
Tafelsig accounted for 6.8% of all calls, almost double the 3.6% recorded in Wesbank, which had the second-largest share. Manenberg followed at 2.8%.
Sherwood Park accounted for 2.5%, while Eastridge, Bonteheuwel and Hanover Park each accounted for 2.4%.
The figures put several Cape Flats communities among the areas generating the largest share of calls for help, as the City recorded more than 2,000 additional domestic violence calls in a single year.
Mayoral committee member for safety and security JP Smith said the increase could be driven both by continued violence and more victims reporting abuse.
“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,” Smith said.
Metro Police officers attended 941 domestic violence incidents during the financial year and made 126 arrests.
The City said officers responding to domestic violence incidents often encountered complicated circumstances.
In some cases, alleged perpetrators had left before officers arrived, while in others victims were reluctant to pursue charges.
Officers could also remove an aggressor from a home to a safe location and advise victims about obtaining protection orders.
Smith said domestic violence was not restricted to intimate partners, with officers also encountering cases involving other members of households.
Substance abuse was also frequently a factor in incidents attended by officers, according to the City.
“These conflicts do not happen in isolation. It requires a whole-of-society approach that goes far beyond that first emergency call and the resultant enforcement response,” Smith said.
The Cape Town figures come amid increased demand for help nationally. The Department of Social Development’s Gender-Based Violence Command Centre recorded 6,782 calls between September 1 and 16, averaging 424 calls a day. That was 21% higher than the daily average during the same period in August.
Residents requiring emergency assistance can contact the City’s Public Emergency Communication Centre on 021 480 7700 from a cellphone or 107 from a landline.
