Almost three people were murdered every hour in South Africa during the first three months of the year, according to police statistics.
The country has one of the highest murder rates in the world.
The murders of 6,289 people were recorded between January and March, up 3.4% from the same period last year.
But Minister of Police Bheki Cele, who has long been under fire over the issue, claimed the overall picture was improving.
"We are gradually gaining back the ground from criminals," Mr Cele told a news conference, saying for example that child murders were down 20%.
The number of rapes also declined slightly by 2.8%, though more than 10,500 cases were still reported in the first quarter of this year.
But there was a "stubborn increase" in cash-in-transit robberies of more than 20%, with 64 cases reported, Mr Cele added.
Common robberies, assaults and attempted murders are also increasing.
The leading opposition party, the Democratic Alliance (DA), reiterated its calls for Mr Cele to be dismissed, saying that crimes was "spiralling out of control".
The new figures "paint a bloody picture of violence tearing away at our social fabric while our citizens cower in fear in their own homes", the party said in a statement.
