The 30 worst areas in South Africa for crime in 2017

The South African Police Service has released its crime stats for the 2016/17 period, revealing which areas in the country have recorded the most crime reports in the past year.

Overall, the crime stats were up marginally in 2017 (+0.12%) from the total recorded in 2016. There were a total of 2.1 million serious crimes reported in the period.

Being the most populous provinces in the country, Gauteng, the Western Cape and KwaZulu Natal unsurprisingly recorded the highest levels of crime.

As part of the presented data, the SAPS also broke down the police stations which recorded the highest levels of crime, with Cape Town central coming in as the most crime-ridden region, with 15,952 reported crimes.

This was followed by Joburg central with 13,044 reported crimes, and Mitchell’s Plain with 12,894 reported crimes.

In South Africa, crimes need to be reported at the police station that is closest to where the crime took place, giving a fair indication of the crime levels in the general region the police station is found in.

It should be noted, however, that station statistics may encompass more areas than where the station is located. For example, a station in a remote area may represent the reported crimes of several neighbourhoods and small towns surrounding it, as it is the only station available to service those areas.

There are approximately 1,140 police stations in the country.

These are the 30 most crime-ridden areas in South Africa, based on crimes reported to their station across the 17 community-reported categories.

Read: South Africa crime stats 2017: everything you need to know