Gauteng leads in murder, carjacking cases
SAPS’s crime statistics for April to June 2026 show Gauteng recorded the most murders and carjackings, while KwaZulu-Natal had the highest number of reported rape cases. Population-based rates, however, were highest in the Eastern Cape for both murder and rape.
South Africa's crime statistics for the first quarter of the 2026/27 financial year reveal Gauteng as the leading province in murder and carjacking cases. The South African Police Service (SAPS) reported these figures between April and June 2026.
While overall murders, rapes, and carjackings decreased nationwide compared to the same period last year, thousands of South Africans still fell victim to violent crime. Despite a 5.9% drop in national murders, Gauteng still recorded the highest number of murders with 1,276 cases, followed by KwaZulu-Natal with 1,179, the Western Cape with 1,071, and the Eastern Cape with 1,047.
In terms of murder rate per 100,000 people, the Eastern Cape had the highest rate at 15.8, compared to Limpopo's lowest rate of 2.6. For rape cases, KwaZulu-Natal topped the list with 1,820 cases, followed by: Gauteng reported the second-highest number of rape cases, but had the lowest rape rate due to its larger population. Gauteng also faced the highest number of carjackings, making up 57.9% of all such incidents in the country.
The remaining provinces together accounted for the majority of violent crimes during the first three months of the financial year.
Written by urgent.news from IOL's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
