What Are the Latest South Africa Crime Statistics?
SAPS's most recent release covers Q1 2026-27 (Apr–Jun 2026), the 1 of 4 quarters published so far in the 2026/27 financial year (Apr–Jun 2026).
Reported crime across SafeSuburb's 14 tracked categories was 365,512 cases, roughly unchanged vs the same quarter a year earlier (Apr–Jun 2025). Murder recorded 5,424 cases, down 6%.
For context, across the full 2025/26 financial year SAPS recorded 23,096 murders nationally, down 9.1% vs Apr–Jun 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. "Reported crime" is not all crime that happened; see how much crime goes unreported, by category. Methodology →
National crime by category
Q1 2026-27 vs Q1 2025-26: the same quarter-over-same-quarter comparison SAPS itself publishes at each release.
Bars coloured by direction vs Q1 2025-26: green = fewer cases, red = more, grey = within ±2%.
| Category | Q1 2026-27 | Q1 2025-26 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Drug-Related Crime | 57,676 | 51,710 | +11.5% |
| Other Theft | 55,595 | 56,095 | -0.9% |
| Common Assault | 42,471 | 41,657 | +2% |
| Serious Assault (GBH) | 38,572 | 37,656 | +2.4% |
| Commercial Crime | 36,022 | 35,982 | +0.1% |
| Residential Burglary | 29,722 | 32,047 | -7.3% |
| Aggravated Robbery | 26,839 | 31,468 | -14.7% |
| Driving Under the Influence | 21,364 | 20,066 | +6.5% |
| Theft from Vehicles | 17,969 | 17,947 | +0.1% |
| Business Burglary | 10,717 | 10,882 | -1.5% |
| Rape | 9,195 | 9,232 | -0.4% |
| Vehicle Theft | 6,988 | 7,520 | -7.1% |
| Attempted Murder | 6,958 | 6,401 | +8.7% |
| Murder | 5,424 | 5,770 | -6% |
| Combined total (14 categories) | 365,512 | 364,433 | +0.3% |
Reported crime by province
Combined total across the 14 tracked categories, Q1 2026-27 vs Q1 2025-26.
| Province | Q1 2026-27 | Change |
|---|---|---|
| Gauteng | 98,375 | +0.1% |
| Western Cape | 81,614 | +1.5% |
| KwaZulu-Natal | 59,899 | -0.1% |
| Eastern Cape | 34,982 | -0.3% |
| North West | 21,791 | -1.1% |
| Limpopo | 21,247 | -2.5% |
| Free State | 20,469 | +5% |
| Mpumalanga | 17,714 | -4% |
| Northern Cape | 9,421 | +6.1% |
Which districts changed the most this quarter?
Combined total across the 14 tracked categories, Q1 2026-27 vs Q1 2025-26 (the same comparison as the province table above, at district level). Limited to districts with at least 50 reported cases in Q1 2025-26, so a percentage isn't computed from a near-zero base.
Largest increases
| District | Change |
|---|---|
| Harry GwalaKwaZulu-Natal, 2,103 cases | +25.5% |
| NamakwaNorthern Cape, 959 cases | +21.4% |
| Dr Ruth Segomotsi MompatiNorth West, 2,117 cases | +13.2% |
| UthukelaKwaZulu-Natal, 3,150 cases | +12.3% |
| MangaungFree State, 7,396 cases | +11.1% |
Largest decreases
| District | Change |
|---|---|
| Central KarooWestern Cape, 831 cases | -26.3% |
| OR TamboEastern Cape, 4,066 cases | -13.8% |
| AmajubaKwaZulu-Natal, 3,422 cases | -9.2% |
| WaterbergLimpopo, 3,373 cases | -7.8% |
| NkangalaMpumalanga, 6,377 cases | -7.8% |
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 Q2 2026-27, typically published November 2026. This page updates automatically once that data is processed; no manual edits needed.
Data: SAPS quarterly crime statistics (Q1 2026-27, compared to Q1 2025-26). 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 →