{"id":861217,"date":"2026-05-22T16:05:51","date_gmt":"2026-05-22T14:05:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/?p=861217"},"modified":"2026-05-22T16:05:53","modified_gmt":"2026-05-22T14:05:53","slug":"58-people-murdered-every-day-in-south-africa-these-are-the-deadliest-areas","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/lifestyle\/861217\/58-people-murdered-every-day-in-south-africa-these-are-the-deadliest-areas\/","title":{"rendered":"58 people murdered every day in South Africa \u2013 these are the deadliest areas"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>The latest crime statistics report reveals that there were 5,181 murders in South Africa from January to March 2026, averaging nearly 60 murders per day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The South African Police Service (SAPS) has released its official crime statistics for the fourth quarter of the 2025\u20132026 financial year, covering the period from January to March 2026.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>While the national data indicates a positive downward trend in major violent crime categories, such as murder and sexual offences, certain regions continue to be significant hotspots for criminal activity.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The fourth-quarter figures reveal an overall decrease of 4.4% in the &#8220;17 community-reported serious crimes&#8221; compared to the same period in the previous financial year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Murder has decreased nationally by 9.5%, with reported incidents dropping to 5,181. Rape cases have also declined by 8.5%, resulting in 9,782 reported incidents.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Carjacking saw a 20.4% reduction, to 3,609 incidents. However, commercial crimes, including white-collar offences, increased by 4.0%, reaching 36,797 cases.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Among the 17 community-reported serious crimes, Gauteng continues to experience the highest level of criminal activity in South Africa, closely followed by the Western Cape and KwaZulu-Natal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><div class=\"table-responsive\"><table class=\"table\" class=\"has-fixed-layout\"><thead><tr><td><strong>Province<\/strong><\/td><td><strong>January to March 2026 (murder counts)<\/strong><\/td><td><strong>% Contribution to national total<\/strong><\/td><\/tr><\/thead><tbody><tr><td><strong>Gauteng<\/strong><\/td><td>1 223<\/td><td>23.6%<\/td><\/tr><tr><td><strong>KwaZulu-Natal<\/strong><\/td><td>1 058<\/td><td>20.4%<\/td><\/tr><tr><td><strong>Western Cape<\/strong><\/td><td>983<\/td><td>19.0%<\/td><\/tr><tr><td><strong>Eastern Cape<\/strong><\/td><td>949<\/td><td>18.3%<\/td><\/tr><tr><td><strong>North West<\/strong><\/td><td>271<\/td><td>5.2%<\/td><\/tr><tr><td><strong>Mpumalanga<\/strong><\/td><td>253<\/td><td>4.9%<\/td><\/tr><tr><td><strong>Free State<\/strong><\/td><td>192<\/td><td>3.7%<\/td><\/tr><tr><td><strong>Limpopo<\/strong><\/td><td>175<\/td><td>3.4%<\/td><\/tr><tr><td><strong>Northern Cape<\/strong><\/td><td>77<\/td><td>1.5%<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/div><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Total counts of murders per province from January to March 2026<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Deadliest areas in South Africa<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>SAPS tracking of individual police stations shows the worst precincts nationwide for community-reported serious crimes.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Cape Town Central ranks highest, followed by Mitchells Plain in the Western Cape, Inanda in KwaZulu-Natal, and Durban Central in KwaZulu-Natal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Top 10 worst crime hotspots (total serious crimes)<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Cape Town Central<\/strong> (Western Cape) \u2013 2,824 cases<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Mitchells Plain<\/strong> (Western Cape) \u2013 1,861 cases<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Inanda<\/strong> (KwaZulu-Natal) \u2013 1,787 cases <\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Durban Central<\/strong> (KwaZulu-Natal) \u2013 1,784 cases<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Mfuleni<\/strong> (Western Cape) \u2013 1,691 cases<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Park Road<\/strong> (Free State) \u2013 1,682 cases<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Midrand<\/strong> (Gauteng) \u2013 1,679 cases<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Honeydew<\/strong> (Gauteng) \u2013 1,665 cases<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Phoenix<\/strong> (KwaZulu-Natal) \u2013 1,612 cases<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Delft<\/strong> (Western Cape) \u2013 1,576 cases<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>If we examine murder statistics, the geographic landscape changes significantly, highlighting the Eastern Cape and the Western Cape. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Kwazakele in the Eastern Cape has now emerged as the top murder hotspot in the country, followed by Inanda in KwaZulu-Natal and Mfuleni in the Western Cape.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Top 10 worst stations for murder<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Kwazakele<\/strong> (Eastern Cape) \u2013 59 murders <\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Inanda<\/strong> (KwaZulu-Natal) \u2013 54 murders <\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Mfuleni<\/strong> (Western Cape) \u2013 53 murders <\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Delft<\/strong> (Western Cape) \u2013 51 murders <\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Gugulethu<\/strong> (Western Cape) \u2013 49 murders <\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Khayelitsha<\/strong> (Western Cape) \u2013 48 murders <\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Philippi East<\/strong> (Western Cape) \u2013 48 murders <\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>New Brighton<\/strong> (Eastern Cape) \u2013 45 murders <\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Motherwell<\/strong> (Eastern Cape) \u2013 44 murders <\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Nyanga<\/strong> (Western Cape) \u2013 44 murders <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Nationwide, arguments, misunderstandings, and road rage are the leading causes of murder, accounting for 898 cases. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In contrast, gang-related murders are primarily concentrated in the Western Cape, which reports 225 out of a total of 242 national cases.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Carjacking incidents have decreased significantly by 20.4%; however, Gauteng remains the carjacking capital of South Africa, responsible for a staggering 57.1% of all vehicles stolen through hijacking across the country.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>The vehicles criminals target most:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Sedans\/Hatchbacks\/Coupes:<\/strong> 1,595 incidents<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Bakkies\/Panel Vans:<\/strong> 1,168 incidents<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Motorcycles:<\/strong> 297 incidents<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>SUVs\/Station Wagons:<\/strong> 268 incidents<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Alexandra, located in Johannesburg, is currently the leading police precinct in the country for hijacking, with 63 reported cases in just three months.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Overall, crimes detected due to roadblocks, police intelligence, and active law enforcement have increased by 13.0%.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The most concerning statistic is the rise in Driving Under the Influence (DUI) of alcohol or drugs, which surged by 29.3%.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This represents an increase from 15,611 cases last year to 20,178 cases in the current quarter.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This may indicate either a significant rise in drunk driving or a greater presence of operational police roadblocks on major arterial routes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Additionally, drug-related crime detections have also risen by 10.8%, totalling 58,265 cases.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><a  data-lightbox=\"post-image\" href=\"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Untitled-design-2026-05-22T154151.959.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"576\" src=\"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Untitled-design-2026-05-22T154151.959-1024x576.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-861283\" srcset=\"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Untitled-design-2026-05-22T154151.959-1024x576.png 1024w, https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Untitled-design-2026-05-22T154151.959-300x169.png 300w, https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Untitled-design-2026-05-22T154151.959-768x432.png 768w, https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Untitled-design-2026-05-22T154151.959-1536x864.png 1536w, https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Untitled-design-2026-05-22T154151.959.png 1600w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Source: SAPS<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>There were 5,181 murders in South Africa from January to March 2026, averaging nearly 60 murders per day.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":127,"featured_media":861218,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9876],"tags":[10588,5784],"class_list":["post-861217","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-lifestyle","tag-crime-stats","tag-south-african-police-service-saps"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/861217","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/127"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=861217"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/861217\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":861295,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/861217\/revisions\/861295"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/861218"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=861217"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=861217"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=861217"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}