Carjacking in South Africa at its worst level in a decade

New crime statistics shows that carjacking in South Africa is at its worst level in more than a decade and has increased by 14.5% over the past year, having jumped by the same percentage last year.

Police Minister Fikile Mbalula presented the past year’s crime statistics to Parliament’s Portfolio Committee on Police on Tuesday, revealing that 16,717 cases of carjacking were reported in 2016/2017.

According to the SAPS, Carjacking has reached its highest level or reported cases in the past 10 years, heading up towards the number of cases reported back in the late 1990s.

The statistics cover the period between 1 April 2016 and 31 March 2017, reflecting the most recent financial year, and were compiled with co-operation with Stats SA, to ensure that the process was subject to the tightest quality control.

Statistically this means that every day 46 cars are hijacked in the country – or two every hour.

According to SAPS’s data, put into a graphic by the Institute for Security Studies, these are the provinces where the most carjackings take place in South Africa:

Read: South Africa’s worst hijacking and smash and grab hotspots

Gauteng remains the biggest hotspot for carjackings, with as many as 8,610 incidents reported, up 16.9%, followed by 3,029 incidents in KwaZulau-Natal, up 21.5%.

Read: “They’re not behind you”- Fidelity ADT explains how hijackers are following you home