Gugulethu Precinct
How much crime was reported in the Gugulethu precinct?
The Gugulethu SAPS precinct recorded 5,640 crimes in Apr 2025–Mar 2026, down 2.8% compared with Apr 2024–Mar 2025.
A raw count, not adjusted for population: larger police areas serve more people and record more crime.
Latest quarter (Apr–Jun 2026): 1,376 crimes, up 5.2% compared with Apr–Jun 2025 (1,308).
Very High volume for Western Cape: the highest fifth of its 152 precincts by reported crime, Apr–Jun 2026.
Nationally Very High: the highest fifth of the 1,165 precincts that reported crime, Apr–Jun 2026.
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
How we handle these →Where within the precinct. SAPS reports one figure for the whole area; all 2 suburbs share it.
Unreported crime. Only crime reported to police is counted, so real incidence is higher.
Crime per resident. Raw counts, no population adjustment — the trend is the steadier signal.
View 2 suburbs in this precinct
Reported crimes
5,640
Apr 2025–Mar 2026 · Full year
Compared with 2018/19
→ 0.8%
about the same as in 2018/19, before the pandemic
Updated · SAPS Q1 2026-27 release
Crime breakdown
Top reported offences in 2025-2026, with change vs Apr 2024–Mar 2025
| Crime category | Reported count | Change vs Apr 2024–Mar 2025 |
|---|---|---|
| Drug-related crime | 1,802 | +151 |
| Common assault | 535 | -72 |
| Aggravated robbery | 489 | -166 |
| Carjacking | 119 | |
| Truck hijacking | 1 | |
| Robbery at residential premises | 71 | |
| Robbery at non-residential premises | 13 | |
| Robbery of cash in transit | 0 | |
| Bank robbery | 0 | |
| Components of aggravated robbery above, already counted in that total. Not additional crimes. | ||
| Serious assault | 438 | +2 |
| All theft not mentioned elsewhere | 383 | -37 |
| Malicious damage | 374 | +3 |
| Murder | 213 | +14 |
| Commercial crime | 203 | +42 |
| Shoplifting | 201 | -62 |
Crime over time
Reported crimes per SAPS financial year, by category
Crime trend by year
Dashed: Apr–Jun 2026 only (1 of 4 quarters published) — a partial year, not comparable with the full years before it.
Hollow points with dashed lines indicate years with fewer than 4 quarters of data — those totals may be lower because SAPS has not released every quarter.
Over the past decade, crime here has fallen.
The numbers behind that — recent years vs earlier years, averaged to see past a one-year spike
Over ~5 years
↑ 8.6%
avg 23/24–25/26 vs avg 18/19–20/21
Over ~10 years
↓ 22.5%
avg 23/24–25/26 vs avg 13/14–15/16
Year-by-year totals
| Year | Reported crimes |
|---|---|
| 2026/27 (Apr–Jun only) | 1,376 |
| 2025/26 | 5,640 |
| 2024/25 | 5,801 |
| 2023/24 | 4,939 |
| 2022/23 | 4,866 |
| 2021/22 | 4,839 |
| 2020/21 | 3,980 |
| 2019/20 | 5,424 |
| 2018/19 | 5,685 |
| 2017/18 | 5,786 |
| 2016/17 | 6,735 |
| 2015/16 | 6,662 |
| 2014/15 | 7,025 |
| 2013/14 | 7,452 |
View full crime breakdown table
| Category | 2025-2026 | 2024-2025 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Drug-related crime | 1,802 | 1,651 | +151 |
| Common assault | 535 | 607 | -72 |
| Aggravated robbery | 489 | 655 | -166 |
| Carjacking | 119 | 148 | -29 |
| Truck hijacking | 1 | 4 | -3 |
| Robbery at residential premises | 71 | 104 | -33 |
| Robbery at non-residential premises | 13 | 16 | -3 |
| 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. | |||
| Serious assault | 438 | 436 | +2 |
| All theft not mentioned elsewhere | 383 | 420 | -37 |
| Malicious damage | 374 | 371 | +3 |
| Murder | 213 | 199 | +14 |
| Commercial crime | 203 | 161 | +42 |
| Shoplifting | 201 | 263 | -62 |
| Residential burglary | 190 | 183 | +7 |
| Rape | 150 | 127 | +23 |
| Crimen injuria | 111 | 81 | +30 |
| Attempted murder | 99 | 92 | +7 |
| Illegal possession of firearms and ammunition | 94 | 120 | -26 |
| Common robbery | 81 | 117 | -36 |
| Driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs | 72 | 34 | +38 |
| Theft from vehicle | 43 | 71 | -28 |
| Business burglary | 41 | 76 | -35 |
| Vehicle theft | 32 | 36 | -4 |
| Sexual assault | 30 | 29 | +1 |
| Kidnapping | 29 | 32 | -3 |
| Arson | 11 | 11 | 0 |
| Culpable homicide | 10 | 15 | -5 |
| Attempted sexual offences | 5 | 11 | -6 |
| Neglect and ill-treatment of children | 3 | 3 | 0 |
| Public violence | 1 | 0 | +1 |
| Abduction | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Contact sexual offences | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Sexual offences detected as a result of police action | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Stock-theft | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Neighbouring police precincts
Precincts sharing a boundary with Gugulethu, listed alphabetically. Counts are for Apr–Jun 2026, changes vs Apr–Jun 2025.
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Gugulethu SAPS
City of Cape Town Metropolitan Municipality
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Contact details last verified: 2026-09-27. Source: SAPS · municipalities.co.za
See Gugulethu 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 Western Cape precinct around it.
Open Gugulethu on the crime map →Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about crime in Gugulethu
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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 →