• Crime data suggests that the biggest crime hotspots countrywide are located in city centres.
• The latest data from the South African Police Service (SAPS) has shed some light into which areas are worst affected by crime in each of the country’s nine provinces for the 2018 year thus far.
• Crimes in South Africa should be reported to the police station that is nearest to where the crime occurred.

This helps to give a good indication of the crime situation in any given area. However, some stations, especially in remote areas, have an overlap with other areas based on which station is better equipped to file the report.

Since crime statistics can be directly linked to population levels, it is no surprise that you will find the highest levels of crime in the Gauteng, Western Cape and KwaZulu Natal provinces.

This can be credited to the fact that they are home to three of the most highly-populated metro areas in the country. The worst province overall is Gauteng even though the worst precincts are found in the Western Cape.

Gauteng

The total number of cases reported in Gauteng was 188,653.

• Johannesburg Central – 26,861 cases
• Honeydew – 23,922 cases
• Pretoria Central – 19,937 cases
• Hillbrow – 18,984 cases
• Sunnyside – 17,420 cases
• Sandton – 17,282 cases
• Midrand – 16,460 cases
• Kagiso – 15,970 cases
• Dobsonville – 15,912 cases
• Temba – 15,905 cases

Western Cape

The total number of cases reported in the Western Cape was 202,872.

• Cape Town Central – 34,146 cases
• Mitchells Plain – 28,676 cases
• Kraaifontein – 20,919 cases
• Nyanga – 20,757 cases
• Delft – 17,974 cases
• Stellenbosch – 17,705 cases
• Worcester – 17531 cases
• Bellville – 15,597 cases
• Milnerton – 14,963 cases
• Mfuleni – 14,604 cases

KwaZulu Natal

The total number of cases reported in KwaZulu Natal was 156,585.

• Durban Central – 25,974 cases
• Pinetown – 16,657 cases
• Phoenix – 16,610 cases
• Umlazi – 16,091 cases
• Plessislaer – 15,587 cases
• Inanda – 14,530 cases
• Chatsworth – 13,090 cases
• Empangeni – 2,976 cases
• Kwadukuza – 12,831 cases
• Pietermaritzburg – 12,239 cases

Eastern Cape

The total number of cases reported in the Eastern Cape was 93,826.

• East London – 13,812 cases
• Mount Road – 11,635 cases
• Humewood – 9,947 cases
• Mthatha – 9,232 cases
• Bethelsdorp – 8,763 cases
• Cambridge – 8,374 cases
• Walmer – 8,352
• Kwazakele – 8,333 cases
• King William’s Town – 7,782 cases
• Gelvandele – 7,596 cases

Limpopo

The total number of cases reported in Limpopo was 82,193.

• Seshego – 12,415 cases
• Polokwane – 12,142 cases
• Mankweng – 11,259 cases
• Thohoyandou – 11,124 cases
• Mahwelereng – 6,501 cases
• Tzaneen – 6,475 cases
• Lebowakgomo – 6,475 cases
• Westenburg – 5,632 cases
• Giyani – 5,496 cases
• Bela Bela – 5,358

Mpumalanga

The total number of cases reported in Mpumalanga was 92,173.

• Witbank – 19,701 cases
• Nelspruit – 13,179 cases
• Middelburg – 11,953 cases
• Vosman – 10,765 cases
• Ermelo – 8,173 cases
• Kwamhlanga – 6,641 cases
• Embalenhle – 5,923 cases
• Piet Retief – 5,906 cases
• Kabokweni – 5,062 cases
• Standerton – 4,870 cases

North West

The total number of cases reported in the North West was 93,867.

• Rustenburg – 18,722 cases
• Potchefstroom – 12,057 cases
• Klerksdorp – 9,471 cases
• Brits – 9,265 cases
• Ikageng – 8,629 cases
• Mafikeng – 8,263 cases
• Boitekong – 7,899 cases
• Jouberton – 7,370 cases
• Mmabatho – 6,178 cases
• Lichtenburg – 6,013 cases

Free State

The total number of cases reported in the Free State was 82,614.

• Park Road – 20,454 cases
• Welkom – 11,187 cases
• Thabong – 7,869 cases
• Bethlehem – 7,536 cases
• Bloemspruit – 6,774 cases
• Phuthaditjhaba – 6,391 cases
• Kagisanong – 6,204 cases
• Zamdela – 5863 cases
• Harrismith – 5,187 cases
• Botshabelo – 5,149 cases

Northern Cape

The total number of cases reported in the Northern Cape was 43,861.

• Kimberley – 13,283 cases
• Galeshwe – 5,956 cases
• Upington – 4,418 cases
• Roodepan – 3,803 cases
• Kuruman – 3,760 cases
• Mothibistad – 3,017 cases
• Kathu – 2,634 cases
• Rosedale – 2,607 cases
• Postmasburg – 2,398 cases
• Hartswater – 1,985 cases

While crime rate, in general, is still quite high, all but one of the provinces have experienced a decrease in contact crimes, with the exception of North West which experiences a 3.2% increase in the 2017/18 financial year.