21 areas you shouldn’t drive through in Gauteng

Overall, incidents of hijacking decreased in South Africa between October and December last year, yet they remain the highest in Gauteng.

While announcing the nation’s quarterly crime stats, acting Police Minister Firoz Cachalia confirmed that 4,420 carjackings took place during the three-month period, a decrease of 387, or 8.1%.

These incidents do, however, remain particularly high in urban areas, with not a single carjacking case being registered in rural communities last quarter.

Instead, more than half of these took place in Gauteng, which recorded 2,544 cases – around 1% less than before.

The Western Cape recorded 577 carjackings, representing a 16% decrease, while KwaZulu-Natal recorded 535 incidents, around 10% less than before.

Only two provinces recorded an increase in hijackings over the period.

The Free State saw incidents increase from 35 to 43, while the North West climbed from 133 to 144 in the same period. Despite these two outliers, quarterly hijacking numbers decreased.

Cachalia noted this, saying, “Most property-related crimes like theft and burglary continued to decrease, but remain at unacceptably high levels.”

He added that overall contact crime, which includes carjackings, started to decrease in the third quarter of 2024/25, which may be attributable to enhanced policing operations.

“But despite these welcome national trends, the levels of crime remain unacceptably high. The crime situation also varies substantially across the country,” said the acting minister.

The most commonly targeted vehicle segment is passenger vehicles, notably hatchbacks, sedans and coupés, which accounted for 1,883, or 43% of all incidents.

Bakkies and panel vans were next on the list, comprising 1,533, or 35% of all targeted vehicles.

Interestingly, motorcycles were more targeted than SUVs, with 333 hijacking incidents recorded, compared to the latter’s 319.

Areas to avoid

While overall numbers decreased, and all but two provinces recorded a decrease in carjackings last quarter, most of the country’s hotspots recorded increases.

Of South Africa’s top 30 stations for recorded hijacking cases, 21 can be found in Gauteng. Six of these hotspots are in the Western Cape, with one each in the Eastern Cape, Mpumalanga, and KZN.

The 21 most dangerous precincts to drive through in Gauteng are as follows:

1. Kempton Park, Ekurhuleni District
2. Tembisa, Ekurhuleni District
3. Ivory Park, Ekurhuleni District
4. Springs, Ekurhuleni District
5. Boksburg North, Ekurhuleni District
6. Alexandra, Johannesburg District
7. Jeppe, Johannesburg District
8. Ennerdale, Johannesburg District
9. Protea, Johannesburg District
10. Jabulani, Johannesburg District
11. Lenasia, Johannesburg District
12. Doornkop, Johannesburg District
13. Bramley, Johannesburg District
14. Cosmo City, Johannesburg District
15. Orange Farms, Sedibeng District
16. Heidelberg, Sedibeng District
17. Akasia, Tshwane District
18. Silverton, Tshwane District
19. Mamelodi East, Tshwane District
20. Pretoria West, Tshwane District
21. Rietgat, Tshwane District

Mamelodi East recorded a nearly 40% increase in carjackings in the previous quarter, with 82 incidents reported, while Alexandra’s numbers more than doubled from 36 to 76.

Kempton Park’s numbers also nearly doubled, increasing from 34 to 67, a 97% increase.

By contrast, Tembisa and Ivory Park recorded decreases of 13% and 29%, respectively, as Orange Farms saw its hijacking numbers decrease by 20%.

Other precincts recorded mixed figures, although most recorded an increase in carjackings.

“While the national trends for most violent and property crime continue to head in the right direction, crime remains unacceptably high and continues to devastate many lives and communities,” said Cachalia.

“We therefore still have a long journey to travel, but I promise that we will not give up.”