What Are the Latest South Africa Crime Statistics?
SAPS's most recent release covers Q4 2025-26 (Jan–Mar 2026), completing the 2025/26 financial year (Apr 2025–Mar 2026).
Reported crime across SafeSuburb's 14 tracked categories was 382,631 cases, roughly unchanged vs the same quarter a year earlier (Jan–Mar 2025). Murder recorded 5,181 cases, down 9.5%.
For context, across the full 2025/26 financial year SAPS recorded 23,096 murders nationally, down 9.1% vs Apr 2024–Mar 2025.
How to read this page: figures are raw reported crime counts from SAPS, not adjusted for population: areas with more residents naturally report more cases. SafeSuburb presents SAPS data as published; we do not rate any place or category as a safety verdict. Methodology →
National crime by category
Q4 2025-26 vs Q4 2024-25: the same quarter-over-same-quarter comparison SAPS itself publishes at each release.
Bars coloured by direction vs Q4 2024-25: green = fewer cases, red = more, grey = within ±2%.
| Category | Q4 2025-26 | Q4 2024-25 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Other Theft | 58,555 | 61,247 | -4.4% |
| Drug-Related Crime | 58,255 | 52,552 | +10.9% |
| Common Assault | 48,712 | 48,865 | -0.3% |
| Serious Assault (GBH) | 43,575 | 43,775 | -0.5% |
| Commercial Crime | 36,782 | 35,354 | +4% |
| Residential Burglary | 32,386 | 35,462 | -8.7% |
| Aggravated Robbery | 26,792 | 31,739 | -15.6% |
| Driving Under the Influence | 20,174 | 15,608 | +29.3% |
| Theft from Vehicles | 17,644 | 19,011 | -7.2% |
| Business Burglary | 10,941 | 12,146 | -9.9% |
| Rape | 9,782 | 10,687 | -8.5% |
| Vehicle Theft | 6,936 | 7,726 | -10.2% |
| Attempted Murder | 6,916 | 6,985 | -1% |
| Murder | 5,181 | 5,725 | -9.5% |
| Combined total (14 categories) | 382,631 | 386,882 | -1.1% |
Reported crime by province
Combined total across the 14 tracked categories, Q4 2025-26 vs Q4 2024-25.
| Province | Q4 2025-26 | Change |
|---|---|---|
| Gauteng | 100,674 | -2.3% |
| Western Cape | 85,862 | -0.7% |
| KwaZulu-Natal | 62,863 | +1.3% |
| Eastern Cape | 35,621 | -2.6% |
| North West | 24,280 | +2.2% |
| Limpopo | 22,329 | -3.5% |
| Free State | 21,681 | -1.5% |
| Mpumalanga | 18,922 | -2.5% |
| Northern Cape | 10,399 | 0% |
Which districts changed the most this quarter?
Combined total across the 14 tracked categories, Q4 2025-26 vs Q4 2024-25 (the same comparison as the province table above, at district level). Limited to districts with at least 50 reported cases in Q4 2024-25, so a percentage isn't computed from a near-zero base.
Largest increases
| District | Change |
|---|---|
| UguKwaZulu-Natal, 4,554 cases | +13.3% |
| Harry GwalaKwaZulu-Natal, 1,907 cases | +12.4% |
| UthukelaKwaZulu-Natal, 3,420 cases | +11.8% |
| Ngaka Modiri MolemaNorth West, 4,811 cases | +7.8% |
| AmatholeEastern Cape, 3,969 cases | +6.9% |
Largest decreases
| District | Change |
|---|---|
| Nelson Mandela BayEastern Cape, 8,112 cases | -13% |
| VhembeLimpopo, 4,042 cases | -11.5% |
| MopaniLimpopo, 3,879 cases | -10.3% |
| LejweleputswaFree State, 4,990 cases | -8.8% |
| Central KarooWestern Cape, 1,057 cases | -7.5% |
When is the next release?
SAPS publishes crime statistics roughly five times a year: four quarterly releases, each about six weeks after the quarter ends, plus an annual release. The next expected release is Q1 2026-27, typically published August 2026. This page updates automatically once that data is processed; no manual edits needed.
Data: SAPS quarterly crime statistics (Q4 2025-26, compared to Q4 2024-25). The combined total sums SafeSuburb's 14 tracked crime categories, not every category SAPS publishes. Figures are raw reported counts, not adjusted for population. This page refreshes automatically when SAPS publishes new data and the site rebuilds. Methodology →