The South African Police Services have published the new crime statistics for the fourth and final quarter of the 2024/2025 period, revealing that 4,533 hijackings took place across the country.
This means that approximately 50 cars were stolen every day between January and March 2025.
While this is an alarming statistic, the silver lining is that it is noticeably less than the same period last year.
In 2024, a total of 5,338 cars were hijacked, which means the new figure is 805 units (15.1%) less than before.
It’s a similar story for truck hijackings, which dropped from 548 to 359 cases year-on-year (21.6% less).
The SAPS also reported that theft of motor vehicles and motorcycles dropped by 9.1% to 7,731 cases, while theft out of or from motor vehicles declined by 7% to 19,032 incidents.
Cash-in-transit heists were down, too, dropping from 40 to 35 cases across South Africa.
Another type of vehicle crime that saw a reduction was drunk driving, as police arrested 15,611 individuals for driving while under the influence – 2,057 less (15.2%) than the final quarter of the 2023/2024 period.
Carjacking hotspots per province
Gauteng experienced by far the most hijackings with 2,488 reported cases:
The top 10 police stations in Gauteng for carjackings were as follows:
| Provincial position | RSA position | Station | Carjackings reported in Q4 2024/2025 | Count difference |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | Ivory Park | 67 | – 2 |
| 2 | 2 | Mamelodi East | 65 | + 29 |
| 3 | 4 | Akasia | 58 | + 23 |
| 4 | 5 | Jabulani | 57 | + 31 |
| 5 | 8 | Moroka | 51 | + 14 |
| 6 | 9 | Olievenhoutbosch | 51 | + 1 |
| 7 | 13 | Sandringham | 45 | – 14 |
| 8 | 14 | Ennerdale | 43 | + 10 |
| 9 | 15 | Vosloorus | 42 | + 8 |
| 10 | 16 | Pretoria West | 42 | – 5 |
KwaZulu-Natal had the second-highest number of cases at 583.
The top 10 police stations in KwaZulu-Natal for carjackings were as follows:
| Provincial position | RSA position | Station | Carjackings reported in Q4 2024/2025 | Count difference |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 3 | Umlazi | 64 | + 1 |
| 2 | 12 | Bhekithemba | 47 | + 6 |
| 3 | 31 | Marianhill | 33 | 0 |
| 4 | 51 | Inanda | 26 | – 17 |
| 5 | 60 | Kwamashu E | 23 | – 16 |
| 6 | 67 | Newlands East | 22 | – 14 |
| 7 | 82 | Greenwood Park | 20 | 0 |
| 8 | 91 | Pinetown | 18 | 0 |
| 9 | 94 | Durban Central | 17 | – 6 |
| 10 | 99 | Kwadabeka | 16 | – 5 |
The Western Cape was the third hardest hit with 563 incidents.
The top 10 police stations in the Western Cape for carjackings were as follows:
| Provincial position | RSA position | Station | Carjackings reported in Q4 2024/2025 | Count difference |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 7 | Delft | 53 | + 14 |
| 2 | 10 | Lingelethu West | 40 | – 4 |
| 3 | 11 | Nyanga | 48 | – 41 |
| 4 | 19 | Mfuleni | 39 | – 12 |
| 5 | 20 | Harare | 39 | – 44 |
| 6 | 23 | Gugulethu | 36 | + 6 |
| 7 | 24 | Makhaza | 36 | + 36 |
| 8 | 26 | Philippi East | 35 | – 21 |
| 9 | 68 | Khayelitsha | 22 | – 19 |
| 10 | 86 | Samora Machel | 19 | + 7 |
The Eastern Cape then experienced 361 reported hijackings.
The top 10 police stations in the Eastern Cape for carjackings were as follows:
| Provincial position | RSA position | Station | Carjackings reported in Q4 2024/2025 | Count difference |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 6 | Kwazakele | 57 | – 3 |
| 2 | 37 | New Brighton | 31 | – 34 |
| 3 | 72 | Kwadwesi | 21 | – 6 |
| 4 | 79 | Mthatha | 20 | + 5 |
| 5 | 108 | Motherwell | 14 | – 46 |
| 6 | 111 | Swartkops | 13 | – 9 |
| 7 | 120 | East London | 12 | – 4 |
| 8 | 121 | Mount Road | 12 | – 4 |
| 9 | 129 | Humewood | 11 | + 2 |
| 10 | 130 | Madeira | 11 | + 1 |
This was followed by Mpumalanga, which received 234 reports.
The top 10 police stations in the Mpumalanga for carjackings were as follows:
| Provincial position | RSA position | Station | Carjackings reported in Q4 2024/2025 | Count difference |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 33 | Witbank | 32 | – 7 |
| 2 | 39 | Vosman | 30 | + 4 |
| 3 | 63 | Delmas | 22 | + 3 |
| 4 | 127 | Bushbuckridge | 11 | + 3 |
| 5 | 135 | Witrivier | 10 | + 8 |
| 6 | 139 | Kwamhlanga | 10 | – 3 |
| 7 | 146 | Middelburg | 9 | + 5 |
| 8 | 156 | Calcutta | 9 | – 11 |
| 9 | 159 | Acornhoek | 8 | + 5 |
| 10 | 166 | Siyabuswa | 8 | – 6 |
The remaining provinces had considerably less incidents, as North West reported 165 hijackings.
The top 10 police stations in North West for carjackings were as follows:
| Provincial position | RSA position | Station | Carjackings reported in Q4 2024/2025 | Count difference |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 89 | Rustenburg | 18 | + 2 |
| 2 | 95 | Mooinooi | 16 | + 8 |
| 3 | 98 | Boitekong | 16 | – 2 |
| 4 | 104 | Hebron | 15 | + 3 |
| 5 | 125 | Hartbeespoort | 11 | + 9 |
| 6 | 145 | Letlhabile | 9 | + 5 |
| 7 | 160 | Mmakau | 8 | + 5 |
| 8 | 177 | Brits | 7 | – 6 |
| 9 | 178 | Phokeng | 7 | – 7 |
| 10 | 182 | Motholung | 6 | + 6 |
Limpopo only received a total of 90 reports.
The top 10 police stations in Limpopo for carjackings were as follows:
| Provincial position | RSA position | Station | Carjackings reported in Q4 2024/2025 | Count difference |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 131 | Thohoyandou | 11 | – 1 |
| 2 | 203 | Jane Furse | 5 | + 4 |
| 3 | 204 | Lebowakgomo | 5 | + 4 |
| 4 | 209 | Giyani | 5 | + 1 |
| 5 | 228 | Mankweng | 4 | + 3 |
| 6 | 241 | Namakgale | 4 | – 1 |
| 7 | 262 | Sekhukhune | 3 | + 2 |
| 8 | 264 | Waterval | 3 | + 2 |
| 9 | 272 | Burgersfort | 3 | 0 |
| 10 | 275 | Malamulele | 3 | 0 |
The Free State had the second lowest number of incidents with 37 cases.
The top 10 police stations in the Free State for carjackings were as follows:
| Provincial position | RSA position | Station | Carjackings reported in Q4 2024/2025 | Count difference |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 205 | Thabong | 5 | + 4 |
| 2 | 206 | Zamdela | 5 | + 4 |
| 3 | 238 | Welkom | 4 | 0 |
| 4 | 242 | Bloemspruit | 4 | – 3 |
| 5 | 260 | Kopanong | 3 | + 2 |
| 6 | 263 | Villiers | 3 | + 2 |
| 7 | 293 | Park Road | 3 | – 4 |
| 8 | 354 | Kagisanong | 2 | – 3 |
| 9 | 373 | Ficksburg | 1 | + 1 |
| 10 | 383 | Kroonstad | 1 | + 1 |
The Northern Cape had the fewest hijacking attempts with only 12 cases.
The top 10 police stations in the Northern Cape for carjackings were as follows:
| Provincial position | RSA position | Station | Carjackings reported in Q4 2024/2025 | Count difference |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 279 | Potmasburg | 3 | 0 |
| 2 | 309 | Upington | 2 | + 2 |
| 3 | 323 | Mothibistad | 2 | + 1 |
| 4 | 333 | Kimberley | 2 | 0 |
| 5 | 379 | Kakamas | 1 | + 1 |
| 6 | 380 | Keimoes | 1 | + 1 |
| 7 | 396 | Roodepan | 1 | + 1 |
| 8 | 503 | Aggeneys | 0 | 0 |
| 9 | 505 | Alexander Bay | 0 | 0 |
| 10 | 518 | Augrabies | 0 | 0 |
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