Buffalo City Crime Insights
What the data reveals for 23 precincts in Buffalo City
District Overview
The big picture for Buffalo City
Buffalo City has 23 police precincts reporting a combined 34,682 crimes in the latest period. Of these, 9 precincts are improving, 9 are worsening, and 5 are stable.
34.7k
Total crimes
9
Improving
9
Worsening
5
Stable
District avg. trend
-0.4%
vs Apr 2024–Mar 2025
Provincial avg. trend
+6.6%
Eastern Cape average
Source: SAPS quarterly crime statistics, Apr 2025–Mar 2026 vs Apr 2024–Mar 2025. 23 precincts in Buffalo City.
Top Improvers & Worseners
Which precincts in Buffalo City are moving the most?
Of 23 precincts, 9 saw crime decrease and 9 saw crime increase vs Apr 2024–Mar 2025. Here are the most significant movers.
Biggest increases
Five-year trajectories
| Precinct | 5-year change | Trend |
|---|---|---|
| East London | -43.5% | improved |
| Chalumna | -23.6% | improved |
| Vulindlela | -17.5% | improved |
| Cambridge | -8.7% | improved |
| Scenery Park | -5.1% | improved |
| Tamara | -2.3% | improved |
| Mdantsane | -0.5% | stable |
| Qonce | 0.0% | stable |
| Ntabozuko | 0.0% | stable |
| Kugompo | 0.0% | stable |
Source: SAPS quarterly crime statistics. Change vs prior year for 2025-2026 vs 2024-2025. Five-year change compares earliest and latest complete annual periods.
Precinct Rankings
All 23 precincts ranked by total crime
From the quietest to the busiest — every precinct in Buffalo City ranked by total reported crime for the latest period.
| # | Precinct | Total | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Macleantown | 230 | ↓22.6% |
| 2 | Chalumna | 252 | ↓25.7% |
| 3 | Ntabozuko | 320 | ↑4.2% |
| 4 | Kidds Beach | 361 | ↓3.5% |
| 5 | Punzana | 366 | ↑30.7% |
| 6 | Tamara | 378 | ↑3.0% |
| 7 | Ndevana | 752 | ↓10.2% |
| 8 | Zele | 793 | ↓5.8% |
| 9 | Bhisho | 1,041 | ↑10.4% |
| 10 | Scenery Park | 1,167 | →0.2% |
| 11 | Gonubie | 1,240 | →1.2% |
| 12 | Beacon Bay | 1,394 | ↓15.7% |
| 13 | Buffalo Flats | 1,467 | ↑8.7% |
| 14 | Kugompo | 1,493 | ↑10.2% |
| 15 | Inyibiba | 1,515 | ↑17.1% |
| 16 | Dimbaza | 1,558 | →1.6% |
| 17 | Vulindlela | 1,583 | →0.8% |
| 18 | Zwelitsha | 1,674 | ↓2.3% |
| 19 | Duncan Village | 1,878 | ↑2.2% |
| 20 | Mdantsane | 3,396 | ↓4.7% |
| 21 | Qonce | 3,575 | →0.9% |
| 22 | East London | 4,063 | ↓7.9% |
| 23 | Cambridge | 4,186 | ↑3.4% |
Source: SAPS quarterly crime statistics, Apr 2025–Mar 2026 vs Apr 2024–Mar 2025. Ranked by total reported crimes.
Province-wide insights
Eastern Cape — all 204 precincts
Buffalo City overview
All precincts and suburbs
Explore Buffalo City precincts
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Data Sources & Methodology
- Crime data: SAPS quarterly crime statistics, publicly available at saps.gov.za
- Analysis covers 23 precincts in Buffalo City, Eastern Cape
- Change vs prior year uses the period: 2025-2026 vs 2024-2025
- COVID recovery compares 2018-2019 (pre-COVID) to 2022-2023 (post-COVID) financial years
- SAPS data reflects reported crime only. Under-reporting varies by area and crime type.
- This analysis is for informational purposes only and should not be used as the sole basis for safety or property decisions. Full disclaimer
- Full methodology →