Common Assault in South Africa
SAPS recorded 188,945 common assault cases across South Africa in Apr 2025–Mar 2026, down 2.1% vs Apr 2024–Mar 2025.
Latest quarter (Jan–Mar 2026): 48,712 common assault 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.
Is common assault rising or falling in South Africa?
Which provinces report the most common assault?
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 | 47,501 | -5% |
| Western Cape | 43,991 | +0.5% |
| KwaZulu-Natal | 31,079 | +2.5% |
| Eastern Cape | 15,756 | +1% |
| Free State | 14,137 | -10% |
| North West | 12,269 | +1.1% |
| Limpopo | 10,102 | -4.2% |
| Mpumalanga | 8,736 | -4.7% |
| Northern Cape | 5,374 | -5.7% |