Serious Assault (GBH) in South Africa
SAPS recorded 173,458 serious assault (gbh) cases across South Africa in Apr 2025–Mar 2026, down 3.9% vs Apr 2024–Mar 2025.
Latest quarter (Jan–Mar 2026): 43,575 serious assault (gbh) cases, roughly unchanged vs Jan–Mar 2025.
Ranked by province below.
Note: Raw reported counts — not adjusted for population. Provinces with more residents will naturally report more cases.
National trend
Serious Assault (GBH) by province
Bars coloured by direction vs the previous year: green = improved, red = worsened, grey = within ±2%. Sorted by Apr 2025–Mar 2026 count.
| Province | Apr 2025–Mar 2026 | vs Apr 2024–Mar 2025 |
|---|---|---|
| Gauteng | 34,703 | -7% |
| KwaZulu-Natal | 31,418 | -2.2% |
| Eastern Cape | 25,303 | +0.4% |
| Western Cape | 23,361 | -2.2% |
| North West | 15,822 | -2.5% |
| Free State | 12,718 | -3.8% |
| Limpopo | 11,513 | -9% |
| Mpumalanga | 11,266 | -7.5% |
| Northern Cape | 7,354 | -5.2% |