Five police stations at centre of South Africa’s worst crime hotspots
The Western Cape frequently saw its police stations rank high throughout the six-month period of the latest crime stats…
The latest crime statistics for first quarter (Q1) and second quarter (Q2) 2025-2026 in South Africa reveal serious crime hotspots, with Western Cape stations dominating the top ranks.
Cape Town Central police station consistently recorded the most “17 community reported serious crime” incidents in the first two quarters of the financial year, cementing its position as the South Africa’s most dangerous area.
The police stations serving the densely populated districts of the Western Cape, specifically the City of Cape Town, consistently featured prominently across the top 10 rankings in both periods.
Mfuleni and Mitchells Plain were among the most affected stations, recording thousands of serious crimes.
The overall data, covering crime stats for April to September 2025, confirmed that metropolitan areas in the Western Cape, KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng remain the epicentres of activity.
| RSA Rank | Station | District | Province | Q2 2025 Counts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cape Town Central | City of Cape Town | Western Cape | 2,512 |
| 2 | Mfuleni | City of Cape Town | Western Cape | 1,927 |
| 3 | Park Road | Mangaung | Free State | 1,897 |
| 4 | Durban Central | eThekwini | KwaZulu-Natal | 1,857 |
| 5 | Honeydew | Johannesburg | Gauteng | 1,721 |
Crime Stats: Cape Town and Mfuleni lead the charge
The Q2 2025 data (July to September) emphasised this trend, showing that Cape Town Central was the number one serious crime hotspot nationwide, recording 2,512 total community-reported serious crimes. Mfuleni followed closely as the second-highest station nationally with 1,927 incidents.
The Western Cape frequently saw its police stations rank high throughout the six-month period. In Q1, Cape Town Central registered 2,605 incidents, while Mfuleni reported 1,777.
Mitchells Plain ranked fourth nationally in Q1 (1,756 counts), and Delft ranked ninth (1,598 counts) for community-reported serious crime. The Western Cape is a major focus area for government strategies designed to combat the scourge of gang violence.
Gauteng, KZN and Free State also feature
While coastal provinces dominate the highest absolute counts, inland metropolitan areas also presented significant serious crime hotspots. In Q2, Park Road in the Mangaung District, Free State, secured the third-highest position nationally with 1,897 incidents. This was a steep rise for Park Road, which had been ranked twelfth nationwide in the prior quarter (Q1), reporting 1,550 incidents.
Gauteng stations appeared prominently, particularly Honeydew in the Johannesburg District, which ranked fifth nationally in Q2 with 1,721 crimes reported.
Meanwhile, Durban Central in KwaZulu-Natal slipped slightly from second place in Q1 (1,989 counts) to fourth place in Q2 (1,857 counts). Phoenix in KZN was a top-five station in Q1, registering 1,683 incidents. The concentration of crime in these stations reflects the pervasive challenges posed by organised crime, extortion, and violence in these high-risk urban centres.