The most common crimes in every province in South Africa
Police minister Bheki Cele recently presented the latest crime statistics for South Africa, revealing which crime is committed the most in each of the country’s nine provinces.
The stats for the second quarter of the year – July to September 2023 – show a slightly more positive turn for reported crime in the country, although total numbers are up due to increased police action.
According to the latest report, there has been a marginal decrease of 0.8% in the number of reported cases of murder in South Africa compared to the previous year.
Nevertheless, the figure remains alarmingly high, with 6,945 murders recorded in the quarter, indicating a significant increase from the 6,228 murders reported in the first quarter of the year (April-June).
The report also highlights that contact crimes, including the most violent crimes in the country, such as murder, attempted murder, assault, and sexual assault, have seen an uptick.
The number of robberies and assaults has also climbed higher. In terms of non-contact crimes, commercial crime has risen, and shoplifting has spiked, possibly due to the challenging economic conditions in which most South Africans find themselves.
On a positive note, there has been a decline in theft of all kinds over the quarter, and sexual offences have also decreased.
The most committed crimes
While certain crimes increased and decreased country-wide, some provincial data bucked the national trend.
Looking at South Africa’s most populated province Gauteng, robbery with aggravating circumstances was the most committed crime, with 14,209 reported cases.
This is concerning as contact crime refers to crimes in which the victims are the targets of violence or instances where the victims are in the vicinity of property that criminals target and are subjected to the use of/or threats of violence by perpetrators, said the SAPS.
Interestingly, while assault with the intent to inflict grievous bodily harm and burglary at residential premises are in the top spot in most provinces, drug-related crime ranked as the most committed crime in the Western Cape – with 16,846 reported cases.
Assault with the intent to inflict grievous bodily harm was Kwa-Zulu Natal’s biggest concern, with 7,100 reported cases. It must be noted that petty theft was the top-ranking crime in all provinces, as one would expect, and this was excluded for purposes of focusing on more serious crimes.
All nine provinces and their respective top three most committed crimes are listed in the tables below.
Gauteng
| # | Crime | No. of cases |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Robbery with aggravating circumstances | 14 209 |
| 2 | Common assault | 12 616 |
| 3 | Commercial crime | 10 320 |
Western Cape
| # | Crime | No. of cases |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Drug-related crime | 16 846 |
| 2 | Common assault | 9 964 |
| 3 | Malicious damage to property | 7 642 |
Kwa-Zulu Natal
| # | Crime | No. of cases |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Assault with the intent to inflict grievous bodily harm | 7 100 |
| 2 | Common assault | 6 576 |
| 3 | Burglary at residential premises | 6 384 |
Eastern Cape
| # | Crime | No. of cases |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Assault with the intent to inflict grievous bodily harm | 5 952 |
| 2 | Burglary at residential premises | 4 589 |
| 3 | Common assault | 3 588 |
Mpumalanga
| # | Crime | No. of cases |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Burglary at residential premises | 2 780 |
| 2 | Assault with the intent to inflict grievous bodily harm | 2 775 |
| 3 | Robbery with aggravating circumstances | 2 402 |
Limpopo
| # | Crime | No. of cases |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Assault with the intent to inflict grievous bodily harm | 3 006 |
| 2 | Common assault | 2 627 |
| 3 | Burglary at residential premises | 2 571 |
Free State
| # | Crime | No. of cases |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Common assault | 3 731 |
| 2 | Assault with the intent to inflict grievous bodily harm | 2 954 |
| 3 | Burglary at residential premises | 2 547 |
North West
| # | Crime | No. of cases |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Assault with the intent to inflict grievous bodily harm | 3 848 |
| 2 | Common assault | 2 816 |
| 3 | Burglary at residential premises | 2 637 |
Northern Cape
| # | Crime | No. of cases |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Assault with the intent to inflict grievous bodily harm | 1 778 |
| 2 | Common assault | 1 401 |
| 3 | Burglary at residential premises | 1 396 |
Read: 12 of the worst areas for home break-ins and robberies in South Africa
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