85 cars are stolen in South Africa per day – The hotspots

The latest crime stats released by the South African Police Service show a welcome 18.3% reduction in reports of vehicle theft.

Between October and December 2024, 7,791 instances of theft of motor vehicle/motorcycle were reported to police stations around the country, versus 9,539 reports over the same months in 2023.

This works out to an average of 85 vehicles that were stolen in the country per day during the third quarter of the 2024/25 period.

The provinces in which the most instances of car theft were reported were:

• Gauteng – 3,995
• KwaZulu-Natal – 1,449
• Western Cape – 944
• Mpumalanga – 377
• Eastern Cape – 335
• North West – 320
• Free State – 176
• Limpopo – 167
• Northern Cape – 28

In a similar vein, other vehicle-related crimes also dipped during Q3 2024/25.

Carjacking fell by 1,166 reports (19.5%) to 4,807; while truck hijacking dropped by 67 reports (14%) to 413.

Meanwhile, theft out of or from motor vehicles slid by 2,879 reports (12.9%) to 19,409; and robbery of Cash In Transit vehicles contracted to 29 reports, a reduction of 17.

Finally, motorists caught driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol totaled 18,333, reflecting a drop of 1,853 cases, or 11.2%.

Car theft hotspots per province

Gauteng was the leader in terms of theft of motor vehicle or motorcycles in Q3 2024/25, with over 51% of all cases reported in the province.

The top 10 police stations for vehicle theft in Gauteng were:

KwaZulu-Natal trailed Gauteng in car theft, but saw a significantly lower 1,449 reports, accounting for 19% of all cases.

The top 10 police stations for vehicle theft in KwaZulu-Natal were:

In third was the Western Cape, being responsible for 12% of all vehicle theft with its 944 reports.

The top 10 police stations for vehicle theft in the Western Cape were:

Mpumalanga ranked fourth in Q3 2024/25 with a tally of 377 incidents, representing 5% of all vehicle theft.

The top 10 police stations for vehicle theft in Mpumalanga were:

In fifth was the Eastern Cape, whose 335 reports covered 4% of all cases.

The top 10 police stations for vehicle theft in the Eastern Cape were:

The sixth position on the list was occupied by the North West province, which saw 320 reports of vehicle theft, also equal to roughly 4% of all cases.

The top 10 police stations for vehicle theft in North West were:

The Free State ranked seventh, though its 176 cases were far fewer than the provinces above it, leading to the region being home to just 2% of all vehicle theft.

The top 10 police stations for vehicle theft in the Free State were:

Likewise, Limpopo’s 167 reports of vehicle theft saw it representing 2% of all incidents.

The top 10 police stations for vehicle theft in Limpopo were:

In the last, most preferred position was the Northern Cape, which only saw 28 reports, reflecting less than 1% of all instances of vehicle theft in the country.

The top 10 police stations for vehicle theft in the Northern Cape were: