Crime stats: The South African province where you are least likely to get murdered
Limpopo is considered the safest in South Africa, with less people being murdered there as compared to other provinces in the country.
The crime rate in South Africa has risen, with a worrying increase in murders, rapes and hijackings in the past two financial quarters.
The South African Police Service (SAPS) leadership, on Friday morning in Cape Town, announced the crime statistics of two quarters:
- Fourth quarter (Q4) of the 2023-2024 financial year (January 2024 to March 2024)
- Q1 of 2024-2025 financial year (April 2024 to June 2024)
The release of the Q4 2023-2024 statistics were delayed due to the 29 May elections, SAPS claimed.
Crime stats: Safest province in South Africa
The 2024-2025 Q1 crime stats paint a bleak picture, but one province in South Africa is considered the safest: Limpopo province.
At the Friday briefing, Minister of Police Senzo Mchunu referred to the ratio of murders committed per capita per province (that is, ratio per 100 000 of the population), revealing the four provinces with the highest ratios:
- Eastern Cape (17.6%)
- Western Cape (15.3 %)
- KwaZulu-Natal (12.3%)
- Gauteng (8.3%)
“It is worth noting that the Limpopo province recorded 3.3% per capita, making it the safest province in as far as murder is concerned,” Senzo said.
Mchunu prefaced the numbers with gloom, saying the crime situation in country was getting worse.
“These numbers tell a sobering story, reflecting the severity of the challenges we face. These numbers represent more than just figures on a page; they reflect the lived realities of our citizens – their fears, their losses, and their hopes for a safer tomorrow,” the minister said.
The numbers also showed that the top 30 police stations for murder cases were concentrated in four provinces.
“All the top 30 stations for murder were in only four provinces, namely Western Cape [11 stations], KwaZulu-Natal [8], Eastern Cape [6] and Gauteng [5]
“The leading stations among them were Nyanga [Western Cape], followed by Inanda [KwaZulu-Natal], Umlazi [KwaZulu-Natal], Khayelitsha [Western Cape] and Harare [Western Cape],” Mchunu said.
Limpopo also had the lowest number of attempted murder cases, beating out South Africa’s other provinces for the second time (Q1 2023-2024 – Limpopo was also the lowest in relation to attempted murder) consecutively.
However, Limpopo has a huge caveat to its “safest province” label.
On the list of top 30 police stations where rape cases were lodged, the Thohoyandou station in Vhembe district, Limpopo, is number three, behind Mthatha (Eastern Cape) and Inanda (KwaZulu-Natal).
What will reduce crime in SA? Improved economy, better policing or harsher jail sentences?
Let us know by clicking on the comment tab below this article or by emailing info@thesouthafrican.com or sending a WhatsApp to 060 011 021 1. You can also follow @TheSAnews on X and The South African on Facebook for the latest news.