Drug-Related Crime in South Africa
SAPS recorded 224,167 drug-related crime cases across South Africa in Apr 2025–Mar 2026, up 15.9% vs Apr 2024–Mar 2025.
Latest quarter (Jan–Mar 2026): 58,255 drug-related crime cases, up 10.9% 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
Drug-Related Crime 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Western Cape | 101,774 | +21.4% |
| Gauteng | 46,056 | +8.9% |
| KwaZulu-Natal | 26,212 | +15% |
| Eastern Cape | 14,115 | +22.4% |
| Limpopo | 10,501 | +9.9% |
| North West | 9,264 | +11.5% |
| Free State | 8,245 | +12.5% |
| Mpumalanga | 4,646 | -3% |
| Northern Cape | 3,354 | +10.9% |