Murders in South Africa: The most dangerous areas and why people are killed
South Africa’s latest crime statistics revealed that 5,427 people were murdered between April 2026 and June 2026.
Ian Cameron, the National Assembly Chairperson of the Portfolio Committee on Police, provided details about these murders.
He said that the statistics showed that almost 60 people a day, or nearly 2.5 people every hour, are murdered in South Africa.
Gauteng had the highest number of murders, followed by KwaZulu-Natal, the Western Cape, and the Eastern Cape.
He added that the South African Police Service provided an analysis from a sample of 5,170 murders where information was available.
Within that sample, 2,513 murders in South Africa involved firearms, and 2,871 occurred in public places.
There were 714 murders with knives, 455 with other sharp instruments, and 213 with blunt instruments.
“28 people were murdered with firearms every day. Illegal firearms and the criminal networks supplying them must remain a policing priority,” Cameron said.
Of the 5,170 murders analysed, 2,871 occurred in public places, 1,614 were at residences, and 213 happened at liquor outlets.
“More than half of murders happened in public spaces. This is why intelligence-led hotspot policing matters,” he said.
Most murders happened because of arguments and fights, followed by retaliation and revenge, vigilantism, robbery, gang crimes, taxi violence, and hijackings.
“Not every murder has the same cause, so not every murder can be prevented using the same policing strategy,” Cameron said.
One thing which stood out was that 7,439 serious contact crimes were alcohol-related, including 250 murders.
“Alcohol-related crime and violence is a serious policing and social problem across South Africa,” he said.
Another concerning issue is gang-related crime in the Western Cape. The Police classified 251 murders nationally as gang-related, with 217 in the Western Cape.
However, it may be worse. “217 equals fewer than 17 gang murders a week. Our monitoring of suspected gang murders has been closer to 30 per week,” said Cameron.
“The SA Police Service must explain exactly how it classifies gang-related murders, including those recorded as retaliation or revenge,” he said.
What caused the murder
| Reason | Number of murders |
| Arguments and fights | 880 |
| Retaliation and revenge | 307 |
| Vigilantism | 305 |
| Robbery | 279 |
| Gang-related | 251 |
| Taxi-related | 53 |
| Hijacking-related | 49 |
Provinces with the most murders
| Province | Murders |
| Gauteng | 1276 |
| KwaZulu-Natal | 1179 |
| Western Cape | 1071 |
| Eastern Cape | 1047 |
| Mpumalanga | 262 |
| North West | 223 |
| Limpopo | 161 |
| Free State | 156 |
| Northern Cape | 52 |
The most dangerous areas in South Africa
| Station | District | Province | Murders |
| Mfuleni | City of Cape Town District | Western Cape | 73 |
| Inanda | eThekwini District | KwaZulu-Natal | 63 |
| Nyanga | City of Cape Town District | Western Cape | 56 |
| Philippi East | City of Cape Town District | Western Cape | 53 |
| Delft | City of Cape Town District | Western Cape | 53 |
| Harare | City of Cape Town District | Western Cape | 49 |
| Umlazi | eThekwini District | KwaZulu-Natal | 49 |
| New Brighton | Nelson Mandela District | Eastern Cape | 47 |
| Kwazakele | Nelson Mandela District | Eastern Cape | 46 |
| Khayelitsha | City of Cape Town District | Western Cape | 44 |
| Kraaifontein | City of Cape Town District | Western Cape | 43 |
| Ivory Park | Ekurhuleni District | Gauteng | 43 |
| Kwadwesi | Nelson Mandela District | Eastern Cape | 42 |
| Motherwell | Nelson Mandela District | Eastern Cape | 41 |
| Walmer | Nelson Mandela District | Eastern Cape | 40 |
| Gugulethu | City of Cape Town District | Western Cape | 37 |
| Makhaza | City of Cape Town District | Western Cape | 35 |
| JHB Central | Johannesburg District | Gauteng | 35 |
| Ntuzuma | eThekwini District | KwaZulu-Natal | 34 |
| Mpumalanga KZN | eThekwini District | KwaZulu-Natal | 34 |
| Orange Farms | Sedibeng District | Gauteng | 34 |
| Cato Manor | eThekwini District | KwaZulu-Natal | 33 |
| Kwanobuhle | Nelson Mandela District | Eastern Cape | 33 |
| Cleveland | Johannesburg District | Gauteng | 31 |
| Lingelethu-West | City of Cape Town District | Western Cape | 31 |
| Plessislaer | Umgungundlovu District | KwaZulu-Natal | 30 |
| Mitchells Plain | City of Cape Town District | Western Cape | 30 |
| Jeppe | Johannesburg District | Gauteng | 29 |
| Mthatha | OR Tambo District | Eastern Cape | 29 |
| Kwamashu E | eThekwini District | KwaZulu-Natal | 28 |
Loading ...
Dickson describing the sitaution worse than a war zone is spot on .
This has resulted in asking why is it so ..
Many reasons are valid , but why are Bosses or the main masterminds behind these crimes never caught ..illegal mining for one …where is the stolen gold taken to, surely those in the mine must get paid , who and how is the gold made legal ….
Could only happen if this organised and protected . Will have little result only going after the foot soldiers and the generals and those in authority who faciltates and protects are not taken out the cycle .
For me this is possibly where the CONNECTED and yes polticians are involved are getting money to fund some political parties . So it will be for drugs ,illegal cigarettes , alcohol … look at number of illegal goods and counterfeit goods ….
Our state has failed . The heads of these crime synducates or groups and money flows needs to be stopped .