Western Cape stations rank among South Africa’s top murder and serious-crime hotspots - IOL

Western Cape police precincts feature very high up in the top 30 crime hotspots.

Several Western Cape police stations remain among the country’s major crime hotspots, with a number of Cape Town precincts featuring high on national rankings for murder and other serious crimes.

The figures were revealed during the release and unpacking of the Western Cape’s first-quarter crime statistics for the 2026/2027 financial year, covering April to June 2026.During the three-month period, 1,071 people were murdered in the province, with 869 of those killings recorded in the City of Cape Town district.

Nationally, the Western Cape’s top murder stations included: Mfuleni (73 murders), ranked number 1; Nyanga (56 murders), ranked number 3; Philippi East (53 murders), ranked number 4; Delft (53 murders), ranked number 5; Harare (49 murders), ranked number 6; Khayelitsha (44 murders), ranked number 10; Kraaifontein (43 murders), ranked number 11; Gugulethu (37 murders), ranked number 16; and Mitchell’s Plain(30 murders), ranked number 27 nationally.

For the broader category of 17 community-reported serious crimes, several Western Cape stations also featured prominently nationally. Cape Town Central ranked number one nationally with 2,559 cases, Mitchell’s Plain ranked sixth with 1,619, Mfuleni ninth with 1,584, Delft 10th with 1,541, Kraaifontein 13th with 1,491 and Worcester 29th with 1,228.

Western Cape Provincial Commissioner Lieutenant-General Sizakhele Dyantyi said firearms remained central to violent crime in the province.

“In this Province the weapon of choice remains firearms in the commission of violent crimes. Our job is to rid communities of illegal firearms and ammunition through targeted operations,” Dyantyi said.

He said covert and overt intelligence-led operations would continue as police targeted illegal firearms and ammunition linked to murders, attempted murders and aggravated robberies.

Police revealed that 610 firearms were confiscated in the Western Cape between April and June.The crime statistics separately recorded 792 cases of illegal possession of firearms and ammunition during the quarter, compared with 821 during the same period last year. These figures represent recorded offences and not the number of individual firearms confiscated.

Dyantyi said the causes behind murder, attempted murder and assault with intent to cause grievous bodily harm included gang violence, taxi-related conflict, extortion, targeted killings, hijackings and arguments.

“Mfuleni, Delft, Mitchell’s Plain, Gugulethu, Nyanga, Kraaifontein, Philippi East, among others, remain top stations for murders and attempted murders,” he said.

“Every endeavour is made to ensure these communities are made safer for all,” he said.

"SAPS' analysis showed gang-related violence or gang initiation was linked to 217 murders during the quarter, while arguments, misunderstandings and fights accounted for 210.

Retaliation, revenge or punishment accounted for another 139 murders. Rape was one of the crime categories that increased during the period. Cases rose by 3.8%, from 1,066 to 1,106, with the City of Cape Town recording 703 cases.

Dyantyi said crimes against women and children remained a concern.

“The scourge of crime against women and children continues to afflict the communities we serve. During the period under review, rape shows an increase prompting continuous interventions to curb the crime,” he said.

“With renewed vigour we undertake to do even more to ensure Western Cape communities are and feel safe.”