Zele Crime Statistics
Buffalo City|1 suburb
How much crime was reported in Zele?
The Zele SAPS precinct recorded 793 crimes in Apr 2025–Mar 2026, down 5.8% vs Apr 2024–Mar 2025.
Moderate volume for Eastern Cape
Largest categories
Whole-precinct figures, reported crime only, raw counts. Source: SAPS quarterly crime statistics (saps.gov.za), Apr 2025–Mar 2026.
What this data can't tell you
- Exactly where in the precinct crimes happened. SAPS reports crime per police precinct. These figures cover the whole Zele precinct area.
- Crime that was never reported. SAPS counts crimes reported to the police. Not all crime is reported, so actual incidence is higher. Reporting rates also vary by area and crime type, so there is no reliable way to correct for it. How we handle this →
- How crime compares per resident. These are raw counts with no population adjustment. Precincts serving more people naturally record more crimes. The trend over time, which compares this precinct against its own history, is the more reliable signal.
See how Zele compares to other Eastern Cape precincts vs Apr 2024–Mar 2025 → Crime by precinct in Buffalo City →
Crime volume
Moderate
in Eastern Cape
Reported crimes
793
Apr 2025–Mar 2026 · Full year
vs Apr 2024–Mar 2025
↓ 5.8%
fewer crimes vs Apr 2024–Mar 2025
vs pre-COVID baseline
↑ 5.3%
above 2018-2019
Updated · SAPS Q4 2025-26 release
Crime in Zele dropped 5.8% vs Apr 2024–Mar 2025.
What's changing?
Biggest changes vs Apr 2024–Mar 2025
All theft not mentioned elsewhere dropped significantly (-30) while Drug-related crime increased (+27).
All theft not mentioned elsewhere-30
Drug-related crime+27
Residential burglary-14
Serious assault-9
Crime trend by year
Crime breakdown
Top reported offences in 2025-2026
| Crime category | Reported count |
|---|---|
| Serious assault | 200 |
| Residential burglary | 112 |
| Common assault | 73 |
| Malicious damage | 70 |
| All theft not mentioned elsewhere | 62 |
| Stock-theft | 46 |
| Crimen injuria | 37 |
| Drug-related crime | 35 |
View full crime breakdown table
| Category | 2025-2026 | 2024-2025 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Serious assault | 200 | 209 | -9 |
| Residential burglary | 112 | 126 | -14 |
| Common assault | 73 | 77 | -4 |
| Malicious damage | 70 | 74 | -4 |
| All theft not mentioned elsewhere | 62 | 92 | -30 |
| Stock-theft | 46 | 48 | -2 |
| Crimen injuria | 37 | 42 | -5 |
| Drug-related crime | 35 | 8 | +27 |
| Rape | 32 | 37 | -5 |
| Aggravated robbery | 21 | 25 | -4 |
| Carjacking | 1 | 2 | -1 |
| Truck hijacking | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Robbery at residential premises | 8 | 9 | -1 |
| Robbery at non-residential premises | 4 | 2 | +2 |
| Robbery of cash in transit | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Bank robbery | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Components of aggravated robbery above, already counted in that total. Not additional crimes. SAPS reports these both individually and within the aggravated-robbery figure. | |||
| Business burglary | 18 | 17 | +1 |
| Murder | 12 | 18 | -6 |
| Commercial crime | 9 | 9 | 0 |
| Common robbery | 9 | 9 | 0 |
| Kidnapping | 9 | 6 | +3 |
| Theft from vehicle | 9 | 6 | +3 |
| Attempted murder | 7 | 9 | -2 |
| Driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs | 7 | 1 | +6 |
| Attempted sexual offences | 6 | 9 | -3 |
| Sexual assault | 5 | 5 | 0 |
| Illegal possession of firearms and ammunition | 4 | 1 | +3 |
| Culpable homicide | 3 | 5 | -2 |
| Neglect and ill-treatment of children | 3 | 4 | -1 |
| Arson | 2 | 3 | -1 |
| Public violence | 2 | 2 | 0 |
| Abduction | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Contact sexual offences | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Sexual offences detected as a result of police action | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Shoplifting | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Vehicle theft | 0 | 0 | 0 |
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Compare with nearby areas
Other precincts in Buffalo City
Sorted by total reported crimes (lowest first)
See Zele on the national crime map
View this precinct's boundary in context, with a year-by-year timeline back to 2013/14 and every other Eastern Cape precinct around it.
Open Zele on the crime map →Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about crime in Zele
The Zele SAPS precinct recorded 793 crimes in Apr 2025–Mar 2026, down 5.8% vs Apr 2024–Mar 2025. The largest categories were Serious assault (200), Residential burglary (112), Common assault (73). These are whole-precinct raw counts of reported crime, not adjusted for population.
The Zele SAPS precinct recorded 793 crimes in Apr 2025–Mar 2026 — down 5.8% vs Apr 2024–Mar 2025. 12 murders were reported. It sits in the "Moderate" crime-volume tier for Eastern Cape precincts. SafeSuburb presents SAPS figures as published — we do not rate precincts safe or unsafe. SAPS reports crime at precinct level, not per suburb, so every suburb in this precinct shares the same data.
The Zele SAPS precinct reported 793 crimes in Apr 2025–Mar 2026. Crime is down 5.8% vs Apr 2024–Mar 2025.
Crime in the Zele SAPS precinct has decreased 5.8% vs Apr 2024–Mar 2025. The precinct reported 793 crimes in Apr 2025–Mar 2026, compared to the same period in the previous financial year.
The most frequently reported crime category in the Zele SAPS precinct is Assault with the intent to inflict grievous bodily harm.
The Zele SAPS precinct covers: Zele. All these suburbs share the same crime statistics because SAPS reports data at precinct level, not per suburb.
Check another area
Data Sources & Notes
- Crime data: SAPS quarterly crime statistics
- SAPS data reflects reported crime only. Crime reporting rates vary by area. How much crime goes unreported? →
- This data is for informational purposes only and should not be used as the sole basis for safety or property decisions. Full disclaimer
- Full methodology →