Murder in Garden Route
SAPS recorded 176 murder cases across 20 Garden Route precincts in Apr 2025–Mar 2026, up 2.9% vs Apr 2024–Mar 2025. That is 4% of the Western Cape's 4,448 total.
Latest quarter (Jan–Mar 2026): 40 murder cases, up 33.3% vs Jan–Mar 2025.
Ranked by precinct below.
Note: Raw reported counts — not adjusted for population. Precincts serving more residents will naturally report more cases.
Garden Route murder trend
Murder by precinct in Garden Route
Bars coloured by direction vs the previous year: green = improved, red = worsened, grey = within ±2%. Top 15 of 21 precincts shown; full list in the table below. Sorted by Apr 2025–Mar 2026 count.
All Garden Route precincts
| Precinct | Apr 2025–Mar 2026 | vs Apr 2024–Mar 2025 |
|---|---|---|
| Thembalethu | 35 | -10.3% |
| Kwanonqaba | 32 | +33.3% |
| Knysna | 15 | -37.5% |
| Oudtshoorn | 14 | +27.3% |
| Conville | 13 | -38.1% |
| Pacaltsdorp | 10 | +11.1% |
| Da Gamaskop | 8 | 0% |
| George | 7 | -12.5% |
| Plettenberg Bay | 7 | +40% |
| Kwanokuthula | 6 | -33.3% |
| Ladismith | 5 | +150% |
| Riversdale | 5 | +150% |
| Uniondale | 5 | +66.7% |
| Albertinia | 3 | 0% |
| Calitzdorp | 3 | +200% |
| De Rust | 2 | 0% |
| Dysselsdorp | 2 | +100% |
| Still Bay | 2 | 0% |
| Groot Brakrivier | 1 | 0% |
| Mossel Bay | 1 | 0% |
| Heidelberg(C) | 0 | -100% |