Kidnapping in South Africa
Kidnapping has no page among SafeSuburb's 14 crime-type pages. This is the only national view; per-precinct kidnapping figures appear in each precinct's crime breakdown.
SAPS recorded 18,490 kidnapping cases nationally in Apr 2025–Mar 2026, stable vs Apr 2024–Mar 2025 (18,147 cases).
How SAPS counts this: kidnapping is a standalone category in SAPS crime statistics, and these counts are included in the total crime figures on precinct and suburb pages. SAPS folds every kidnapping subtype it records into this one category, including hostage-taking and kidnapping for ransom or extortion, and publishes no per-subtype breakdown. This page therefore shows combined counts only.
Note: Raw reported counts, not adjusted for population. Areas with more residents will naturally record more cases.
Is kidnapping rising or falling in South Africa?
Which provinces record the most kidnappings?
Bars coloured by direction vs the previous financial year: green = fewer cases, red = more, grey = within 2%. Sorted by Apr 2025–Mar 2026 count.
| Province | Apr 2025–Mar 2026 | vs Apr 2024–Mar 2025 |
|---|---|---|
| Gauteng | 10,087 | +4.6% |
| KwaZulu-Natal | 3,242 | -3% |
| Mpumalanga | 1,032 | +5.6% |
| Western Cape | 922 | -14.3% |
| North West | 882 | +5.3% |
| Eastern Cape | 781 | -5.7% |
| Limpopo | 714 | +10% |
| Free State | 660 | +5.6% |
| Northern Cape | 170 | +3% |
Which precincts record the most kidnappings?
The 50 SAPS precincts with the most recorded kidnapping cases in Apr 2025–Mar 2026. Click a precinct for its full crime breakdown.
| # | Precinct | District | Province | Apr 2025–Mar 2026 | vs Apr 2024–Mar 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kempton Park | Ekurhuleni | Gauteng | 235 | +25% |
| 2 | Vosloorus | Ekurhuleni | Gauteng | 218 | -12.8% |
| 3 | Heidelberg (Gp) | Sedibeng | Gauteng | 204 | +43.7% |
| 4 | Umlazi | eThekwini | KwaZulu-Natal | 200 | +1% |
| 5 | Tembisa | Ekurhuleni | Gauteng | 196 | +4.8% |
| 6 | Johannesburg Central | Johannesburg | Gauteng | 195 | +4.3% |
| 7 | Midrand | Johannesburg | Gauteng | 183 | +16.6% |
| 8 | Roodepoort | Johannesburg | Gauteng | 183 | +9.6% |
| 9 | Orange Farms | Sedibeng | Gauteng | 178 | -26.1% |
| 10 | Protea | Johannesburg | Gauteng | 177 | +33.1% |
| 11 | Ivory Park | Ekurhuleni | Gauteng | 171 | -11.4% |
| 12 | Jeppe | Johannesburg | Gauteng | 171 | +32.6% |
| 13 | Evaton | Sedibeng | Gauteng | 162 | +6.6% |
| 14 | Germiston | Ekurhuleni | Gauteng | 159 | -10.2% |
| 15 | Eldorado Park | Johannesburg | Gauteng | 158 | +7.5% |
| 16 | Mamelodi East | Tshwane | Gauteng | 157 | +55.4% |
| 17 | Lenasia | Johannesburg | Gauteng | 156 | +7.6% |
| 18 | Moroka | Johannesburg | Gauteng | 150 | -7.4% |
| 19 | Boksburg North | Ekurhuleni | Gauteng | 147 | +58.1% |
| 20 | Honeydew | Johannesburg | Gauteng | 140 | +16.7% |
| 21 | Inanda | eThekwini | KwaZulu-Natal | 138 | -3.5% |
| 22 | Ennerdale | Johannesburg | Gauteng | 131 | +20.2% |
| 23 | Rietgat | Tshwane | Gauteng | 127 | +6.7% |
| 24 | Loate | Tshwane | Gauteng | 125 | +31.6% |
| 25 | Alberton | Ekurhuleni | Gauteng | 121 | +44% |
| 26 | Sandton | Johannesburg | Gauteng | 118 | +9.3% |
| 27 | Orlando | Johannesburg | Gauteng | 117 | +56% |
| 28 | Temba | Tshwane | Gauteng | 112 | +24.4% |
| 29 | Verulam | eThekwini | KwaZulu-Natal | 112 | +10.9% |
| 30 | Florida | Johannesburg | Gauteng | 111 | -27% |
| 31 | Durban Central | eThekwini | KwaZulu-Natal | 109 | -18.7% |
| 32 | Alexandra | Johannesburg | Gauteng | 107 | +69.8% |
| 33 | Sandringham | Johannesburg | Gauteng | 107 | +8.1% |
| 34 | Silverton | Tshwane | Gauteng | 107 | +30.5% |
| 35 | Mondeor | Johannesburg | Gauteng | 106 | -35.4% |
| 36 | Brakpan | Ekurhuleni | Gauteng | 105 | +16.7% |
| 37 | Diepsloot | Johannesburg | Gauteng | 105 | +61.5% |
| 38 | Vereeniging | Sedibeng | Gauteng | 104 | +36.8% |
| 39 | Cleveland | Johannesburg | Gauteng | 101 | +24.7% |
| 40 | Delmas | Nkangala | Mpumalanga | 101 | +7.4% |
| 41 | Meadowlands | Johannesburg | Gauteng | 100 | +42.9% |
| 42 | Daveyton | Ekurhuleni | Gauteng | 99 | -20.8% |
| 43 | Sebokeng | Sedibeng | Gauteng | 96 | +21.5% |
| 44 | Akasia | Tshwane | Gauteng | 95 | -5% |
| 45 | Diepkloof | Johannesburg | Gauteng | 94 | -2.1% |
| 46 | Pinetown | eThekwini | KwaZulu-Natal | 92 | -9.8% |
| 47 | Rabie Ridge | Ekurhuleni | Gauteng | 91 | +2.2% |
| 48 | Tembisa South | Ekurhuleni | Gauteng | 91 | +2.2% |
| 49 | De Deur | Sedibeng | Gauteng | 90 | -2.2% |
| 50 | Kagiso | West Rand | Gauteng | 90 | -9.1% |