Top 10 smash-and-grab hotspots in South Africa – Per province

As many as 19,032 “theft out of or from motor vehicle” cases were reported in South Africa in the fourth quarter of the 2024/2025 period, according to new crime data from the South African Police Services.

This means that roughly 211 cars were broken into between January and March 2025.

Theft out of or from a motor vehicle is a category of property-related crime that refers to incidents where items are taken from a car.

This includes smash-and-grab attempts, where a person breaks a window to quickly grab loose items such as a cellphone or handbag, or when a criminal takes tools or packages from the back of a bakkie or panel van.

It also covers the theft of vehicle components, which are sold as spares on the black market.

Most often, thieves will try to take components and body parts such as airbags, batteries, tailgates, tyres, wheel rims, headlights, side mirrors, sound equipment, wheel caps, and wiper blades.

This is how many incidents occurred in each province:

1. Gauteng – 5,307
2. Western Cape – 4,978
3. KwaZulu-Natal – 2,775
4. Eastern Cape – 1,862
5. North West – 971
6. Free State – 914
7. Limpopo – 903
8. Mpumalanga – 896
9. Northern Cape – 426

On a more positive note, theft out of motor vehicle cases dropped 7% from the same period the year before, equating to 1,443 fewer incidents.

Smash-and-grab hotspots per province

Gauteng experienced the highest number of cases at 5,307.

The top 10 police stations in Gauteng for smash-and-grabs were as follows:

The Western Cape also had a high number of reports with 4,978 counts.

The top 10 police stations in the Western Cape for smash-and-grabs were as follows:

KwaZulu-Natal had the third-highest number of cases at 2,775.

The top 10 police stations in KwaZulu-Natal for smash-and-grabs were as follows:

The Eastern Cape then experienced 1,862 theft out of motor vehicle incidents.

The top 10 police stations in the Eastern Cape for smash-and-grabs were as follows:

North West received a total of 971 reports.

The top 10 police stations in North West for smash-and-grabs were as follows:

The Free State had 914 cases.

The top 10 police stations in the Free State for smash-and-grabs were as follows:

This was followed by Limpopo with 903 reports.

The top 10 police stations in Limpopo for smash-and-grabs were as follows:

Mpumalanga had the second fewest reports at 896.

The top 10 police stations in the Mpumalanga for smash-and-grabs were as follows:

The Northern Cape had the lowest number of theft out of motor vehicle attempts with 426 incidents.

The top 10 police stations in the Northern Cape for smash-and-grabs were as follows: