The latest crime stats released by the South African Police Service show that car theft dropped by an appreciable 9.1% in the final quarter of the 2024/2025 period.
Between January and March 2025, a total of 7,731 theft of motor vehicle and motorcycle cases were reported in South Africa, equating to 85.9 cars per day.
While this figure is still alarming, it is 9.1% less than the 8,502 vehicles taken during the same period last year.
The provinces in which the most instances of car theft were reported were:
- Gauteng – 4,096
- KwaZulu-Natal – 1,359
- Western Cape – 1,004
- Eastern Cape – 354
- Mpumalanga – 289
- North West – 288
- Free State – 180
- Limpopo – 132
- Northern Cape – 26
Important to note is that theft of motor vehicles is classified as a separate crime from carjacking.
Theft of motor vehicles is listed as a property-related crime, while carjacking is viewed as a sub-category of aggravated robbery.
Car theft hotspots per province
Gauteng was the leader in terms of theft of motor vehicle or motorcycles in Q4 2024/25 with 4,096 cases.
The top 10 police stations for vehicle theft in Gauteng were:
| Provincial position | RSA position | Station | Theft of motor vehicle/motorcycle reported in Q4 2024/25 | Count difference |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | Brooklyn | 149 | – 56 |
| 2 | 3 | Roodepoort | 129 | – 4 |
| 3 | 4 | Krugersdorp | 114 | – 30 |
| 4 | 6 | Honeydew | 97 | – 53 |
| 5 | 7 | Lyttelton | 94 | – 15 |
| 6 | 8 | Garsfontein | 87 | 0 |
| 7 | 9 | Springs | 85 | + 7 |
| 8 | 10 | Booysens | 83 | + 24 |
| 9 | 11 | Cosmo City | 80 | + 28 |
| 10 | 12 | Wierdaburg | 79 | – 62 |
KwaZulu-Natal was the second worst-affected province, though its numbers were much lower than Gauteng at 1,359.
The top 10 police stations for vehicle theft in KwaZulu-Natal were:
| Provincial position | RSA position | Station | Theft of motor vehicle/motorcycle reported in Q4 2024/25 | Count difference |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | Chatsworth | 133 | + 27 |
| 2 | 5 | Durban Central | 98 | – 38 |
| 3 | 14 | Phoenix | 73 | – 16 |
| 4 | 20 | Pinetown | 59 | + 22 |
| 5 | 29 | Berea | 54 | + 3 |
| 6 | 30 | Verulam | 54 | – 6 |
| 7 | 41 | Sydenham | 46 | – 33 |
| 8 | 42 | Greenwood Park | 45 | + 8 |
| 9 | 45 | Newlands East | 45 | 0 |
| 10 | 51 | Umbilo | 42 | – 19 |
In third was the Western Cape, which had 1,004 reports.
The top 10 police stations for vehicle theft in the Western Cape were:
| Provincial position | RSA position | Station | Theft of motor vehicle/motorcycle reported in Q4 2024/25 | Count difference |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 46 | Mfuleni | 42 | + 19 |
| 2 | 47 | Bellville | 42 | + 4 |
| 3 | 55 | Parow | 39 | + 10 |
| 4 | 59 | Strand | 37 | – 4 |
| 5 | 67 | Milnerton | 34 | – 2 |
| 6 | 68 | Stellenbosch | 34 | – 24 |
| 7 | 69 | Cape Town Central | 34 | – 38 |
| 8 | 72 | Woodstock | 33 | + 1 |
| 9 | 79 | Kraaifontein | 29 | – 9 |
| 10 | 83 | Somerset West | 29 | + 8 |
In fourth was the Eastern Cape with 354 incidents.
The top 10 police stations for vehicle theft in the Eastern Cape were:
| Provincial position | RSA position | Station | Theft of motor vehicle/motorcycle reported in Q4 2024/25 | Count difference |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 44 | Humewood | 45 | + 1 |
| 2 | 77 | Mount Road | 30 | + 8 |
| 3 | 120 | Mthatha | 19 | + 6 |
| 4 | 138 | East London | 17 | – 3 |
| 5 | 157 | Walmer | 15 | – 2 |
| 6 | 179 | Algoapark | 12 | + 4 |
| 7 | 187 | Kabega Park | 12 | – 3 |
| 8 | 205 | Qonce | 10 | + 4 |
| 9 | 209 | Madeira | 10 | – 4 |
| 10 | 231 | Despatch | 8 | + 2 |
Mpumalanga ranked fifth in Q4 2024/25 with a tally of 289 cases.
The top 10 police stations for vehicle theft in Mpumalanga were:
| Provincial position | RSA position | Station | Theft of motor vehicle/motorcycle reported in Q4 2024/25 | Count difference |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 49 | Witbank | 42 | – 6 |
| 2 | 85 | Vosman | 27 | + 2 |
| 3 | 100 | Middelburg | 24 | – 10 |
| 4 | 131 | Nelspruit | 18 | – 4 |
| 5 | 155 | Piet Retief | 15 | + 4 |
| 6 | 183 | Mhluzi | 12 | + 1 |
| 7 | 194 | Ermelo | 11 | – 1 |
| 8 | 210 | Delmas | 10 | – 5 |
| 9 | 215 | Bushbuckridge | 9 | + 6 |
| 10 | 230 | Witrivier | 8 | + 3 |
North West only had one less case than Mpumalanga at 288 reports.
The top 10 police stations for vehicle theft in North West were:
| Provincial position | RSA position | Station | Theft of motor vehicle/motorcycle reported in Q4 2024/25 | Count difference |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 31 | Rustenburg | 54 | – 33 |
| 2 | 90 | Brits | 25 | + 1 |
| 3 | 96 | Hartbeespoortdam | 24 | 0 |
| 4 | 114 | Tlhabane | 21 | + 10 |
| 5 | 125 | Phokeng | 19 | – 9 |
| 6 | 130 | Mooinooi | 18 | – 4 |
| 7 | 163 | Boitekong | 15 | – 7 |
| 8 | 170 | Klerksdorp | 13 | + 3 |
| 9 | 211 | Potchefstroom | 10 | – 6 |
| 10 | 241 | Ikageng | 7 | + 4 |
The Free State ranked seventh with 180 cases.
The top 10 police stations for vehicle theft in the Free State were:
| Provincial position | RSA position | Station | Theft of motor vehicle/motorcycle reported in Q4 2024/25 | Count difference |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 84 | Park Road | 27 | + 7 |
| 2 | 140 | Welkom | 16 | + 9 |
| 3 | 151 | Sasolburg | 16 | – 11 |
| 4 | 176 | Zamdela | 12 | + 11 |
| 5 | 219 | Thabong | 9 | + 5 |
| 6 | 229 | Bloemspruit | 8 | + 5 |
| 7 | 257 | Mafube | 6 | + 5 |
| 8 | 260 | Bayswater | 6 | + 3 |
| 9 | 266 | Bainsvlei | 6 | + 1 |
| 10 | 277 | Warden | 5 | + 5 |
Limpopo’s number of cases was marginally lower at 132.
The top 10 police stations for vehicle theft in Limpopo were:
| Provincial position | RSA position | Station | Theft of motor vehicle/motorcycle reported in Q4 2024/25 | Count difference |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 159 | Polokwane | 15 | – 4 |
| 2 | 203 | Mokopane | 10 | + 6 |
| 3 | 207 | Thohoyandou | 10 | 0 |
| 4 | 208 | Westenburg | 10 | 0 |
| 5 | 235 | Mankweng | 8 | – 3 |
| 6 | 261 | Bela-Bela | 6 | + 3 |
| 7 | 275 | Makhado | 5 | + 5 |
| 8 | 284 | Musina | 5 | + 2 |
| 9 | 296 | Maake | 5 | – 2 |
| 10 | 297 | Lebowakgomo | 5 | – 3 |
Last up is the Northern Cape, which only reported 26 stolen cars.
The top 10 police stations for vehicle theft in the Northern Cape were:
| Provincial position | RSA position | Station | Theft of motor vehicle/motorcycle reported in Q4 2024/25 | Count difference |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 342 | Kimberley | 4 | – 5 |
| 2 | 355 | Kuruman | 3 | + 2 |
| 3 | 410 | Batharos | 2 | + 1 |
| 4 | 435 | Postmasburg | 2 | 0 |
| 5 | 436 | Upington | 2 | 0 |
| 6 | 474 | Calvinia | 1 | + 1 |
| 7 | 478 | Danielskuil | 1 | + 1 |
| 8 | 479 | De Aar | 1 | + 1 |
| 9 | 490 | Groblershoop | 1 | + 1 |
| 10 | 493 | Hartswater | 1 | + 1 |
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