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Wednesday / 13 November 2024
HomeFeatures96 cars are stolen in South Africa per day – The most affected areas

96 cars are stolen in South Africa per day – The most affected areas

New data from the South African Police Services (SAPS) shows that 8,611 cars and motorcycles were stolen across all nine provinces in South Africa between April and June 2024.

This means that, on average, approximately 96 vehicles were stolen in South Africa every day in the first quarter of 2024/2025.

While this is an astronomical figure, it is actually lower than the same quarter last year, as car thefts dropped by 470 cases, or 5.2%, in comparison to the period of April to June 2023.

It is important to note that the theft of motor vehicles and motorcycles does not include models taken during hijackings, as the SAPS records these as separate incidents.

Carjackings are listed as a sub-category of aggravated robbery, whereas the theft of motor vehicles and motorcycles is categorized as a property-related crime.

The distinction is that the latter occurs when the owner is not present when the car is stolen, usually when the vehicle is left unattended on a street or in a parking bay.

Car theft hotspots per province

Gauteng is by far and away the car theft capital of South Africa, as 4,529 cases were recorded during the monitored period, or 52% of all reports in the country.

The top 10 police stations in Gauteng for car theft were as follows:

Provincial position RSA position Station Car theft reported in Q1 2024/2025 Count difference
1 1 Brooklyn 228 + 50
2 2 Honeydew 147 + 30
3 3 Krugersdorp 144 + 27
4 6 Roodepoort 116 – 33
5 7 Garsfontein 110 + 40
6 8 Springs 110 + 38
7 9 Wierdabrug 109 + 2
8 10 Lyttleton 103 + 12
9 11 Kempton Park 86 + 21
10 12 Brakpan 85 + 45

The second most-affect province is KwaZulu-Natal, which had 1,401 incidents of stolen cars.

The top 10 police stations in KZN for car theft were as follows:

Provincial position RSA position Station Car theft reported in Q1 2024/2025 Count difference
1 4 Durban Central 129 + 6
2 5 Chatsworth 117 + 18
3 19 Phoenix 78 – 15
4 27 Umbilo 64 – 31
5 40 Verulam 51 – 6
6 46 Sydenham 46 + 2
7 50 Berea 44 – 35
8 53 Newlands East 40 + 19
9 55 Durban North 39 + 9
10 56 Pinetown 39 – 5

Not too far behind KZN is the Western Cape, which had 1,220 reports.

The top 10 police stations in the Western Cape for car theft were as follows:

Provincial position RSA position Station Car theft reported in Q1 2024/2025 Count difference
1 30 Stellenbosch 57 + 15
2 42 Parow 50 – 16
3 45 Cape Town Central 47 + 9
4 51 Kraaifontein 43 + 1
5 58 Milnerton 38 – 9
6 60 Brackenfell 37 + 11
7 66 Woodstock 35 – 28
8 70 Muizenberg 34 + 1
9 75 Strand 32 + 12
10 77 Durbanville 31 + 10

The rest of the provinces’ stats were dramatically lower, as the Eastern Cape only had 374 car thefts.

The top 10 police stations in the Eastern Cape for car theft were as follows:

Provincial position RSA position Station Car theft reported in Q1 2024/2025 Count difference
1 32 Mount Road 54 + 35
2 43 Humewood 48 + 30
3 116 Kariega 22 + 14
4 132 Walmer 20 + 6
5 154 Kabega Park 16 + 6
6 188 Cambridge 12 + 3
7 194 Madeira 12 – 4
8 198 Mthatha 12 – 15
9 258 East London 7 – 11
10 266 New Brighton 6 + 3

Next up is North West, where residents reported 369 stolen vehicles.

The top 10 police stations in North West for car theft were as follows:

Provincial position RSA position Station Car theft reported in Q1 2024/2025 Count difference
1 13 Rustenburg 85 + 30
2 100 Hartbeespoort Dam 25 +10
3 101 Potchefstroom 25 + 7
4 118 Brits 22 – 2
5 131 Klerksdorp 20 + 6
6 133 Marikana 20 + 5
7 146 Boitekong 18 – 11
8 152 Mooinooi 16 + 7
9 179 Phokeng 14 – 16
10 181 Stilfontein 13 + 9

Mpumalanga only had four less cases than North West, as it had 365 models taken from their owners.

The top 10 police stations in Mpumalanga for car theft were as follows:

Provincial position RSA position Station Car theft reported in Q1 2024/2025 Count difference
1 31 Witbank 56 – 28
2 89 Middleburg 28 – 7
3 117 Vosman 22 + 5
4 137 Mhluzi 19 + 8
5 145 Nelspruit 18 – 9
6 150 Delmas 16 + 7
7 164 Carolina 14 + 11
8 190 Kwamhlanga 12 – 2
9 191 Secunda 12 – 2
10 205 Bushbuckridge 10 + 10

Dropping down to less than half the cases of the previous province is the Free State, where 167 cars were stolen.

The top 10 police stations in the Free State for car theft were as follows:

Provincial position RSA position Station Car theft reported in Q1 2024/2025 Count difference
1 84 Sasolburg 29 + 14
2 95 Park Road 27 – 21
3 215 Welkom 10 – 8
4 276 Zamdela 6 – 1
5 279 Bethlehem 6 – 5
6 283 Warden 5 + 5
7 293 Phuthaditjhaba 5 + 2
8 298 Maokeng 5 + 1
9 333 Thabong 4 + 2
10 340 Mangaung 4 – 1

Limpopo ended with similar statistics to Free State, with 159 incidents.

The top 10 police stations in Limpopo for car theft were as follows:

Provincial position RSA position Station Car theft reported in Q1 2024/2025 Count difference
1 172 Westenburg 14 + 3
2 182 Seshego 13 + 7
3 228 Musina 8 + 5
4 243 Dennilton 7 + 4
5 248 Mahwelereng 7 + 2
6 260 Northam 6 + 6
7 261 Makweng 6 + 5
8 263 Tubatse 6 + 4
9 264 Jane Furse 6 + 3
10 270 Thohoyandou 6 + 2

Right at the bottom of the list is the Northern Cape, which incredibly only had 27 incidents of car theft, or 0.5% of what Gauteng residents experience.

The top 10 police stations in the Northern Cape for car theft were as follows:

Provincial position RSA position Station Car theft reported in Q1 2024/2025 Count difference
1 344 Kimberley 4 – 3
2 417 Britstown 2 + 2
3 419 Danielskuil 2 + 2
4 422 Groblershoop 2 + 2
5 480 Galeshewe 2 – 1
6 481 Kagisho 2 – 1
7 484 Posmasburg 2 – 1
8 491 Upington 2 – 2
9 502 Aggeneys 1 + 1
10 515 De Aar 1 + 1

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