Western Cape ranks second for hijackings as Cape Town stations dominate hotspot list
With nearly 500 vehicle hijackings reported in the first quarter of 2026, the Western Cape faces a troubling trend.
The Western Cape was the second most common location for vehicle hijackings in the first quarter of 2026, recording nearly 500 hijackings. This placed it second only to Gauteng, despite a national decline in vehicle hijackings of 20.4%. The Western Cape recorded 498 cases, down from 563 cases the previous year. Despite the decrease, the province accounted for about 13.8% of all hijackings nationally.
Gauteng remained far ahead of other provinces with 2,062 hijackings. KwaZulu-Natal followed with 446 cases. The Western Cape's second place should not be interpreted as every driver facing the second highest personal risk. Only a small number of police stations in Cape Town were among the top carjacking hotspots, including Delft, Lingelethu-West, Harare, Nyanga, and Khayelitsha.
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