Over the past few years, South Africa has seen rising levels of crime. The issue of crime is one that is experienced by almost all citizens, irrespective of their economic status or where they live.

New data released by Statistics South Africa shows that household crimes experienced in the twelve months preceding the interview increased compared to 2020/21, with the exception of theft of motor vehicles, which decreased. Individual experience of crime has also increased, with the exception of street robbery, which dropped in 2021/22. According to the Governance, Public Safety, and Justice Survey (GPSJS) 2021/22, the percentage of adults aged 16 years and older who felt safe walking alone in their neighbourhoods during the day decreased from 84,8% in 2020/21 to 81,3% in 2021/22.

Housebreaking is the most common crime experienced by households in South Africa. A total of 983 000 households experienced housebreaking incidences in the 2021/22 period. The second most common type of crime experienced by households is home robbery, affecting 155 000 households.  Assault is the third most common type of crime, affecting 99 000 households. Data shows that the experience of crime by households has increased for housebreaking, home robbery, assault and murder. The experience of theft of motor vehicles by households declined from 81 000 in 2020/21 to 42 000 in 2021/22.

In South Africa, more than two-fifths (41,9%) of households are headed by women.¹ According to the GPSJS, housebreaking was mostly experienced by female-headed households and households in rural areas. There was an increase in the number of households that reported at least one incidence of housebreaking, with 147 000 households experiencing this crime in June.

A total of 99 000 households experienced assault in 2021/22; this is almost double the 2020/21 figures. Assault was most likely to be experienced by female-headed households and households in non-metro areas.

Let’s take a look at a break-down of the figures by category.

Housebreaking

In 2021/22, an estimated 1,4 million incidences of housebreaking occurred, representing 5,4% of all households in the country. About 59% of households that experienced housebreaking reported some or all incidences to the police. The percentage of households that reported the incidences to the police increased from 56,1% in 2020/21 to 59,2% in 2021/22.

Home robbery

An estimated 205 000 incidences of home robberies occurred in 2021/22, representing 0,9% of all households in the country. About 66% of households that experienced home robbery reported some or all incidences to the police. The percentage of households that reported the incidences to the police decreased from 59,9% in 2018/19 to 54,5% in 2019/20, and increased to 66% in 2021/22.

Assault

The number of incidences of assault and the number of households that experienced assault decreased between 2018/19 and 2019/20, but increased in 2020/21 and 2021/22. However, the number of households that reported at least one incidence of assault to the police declined between 2018/19 and 2020/21 before increasing in 2021/22. The percentage of households that reported at least some of the incidences to the police increased by almost 23 percentage points from 50,6% in 2020/21 to 73,7% in 2021/22.

Theft of a motor vehicle

In 2021/22, 42 000 households experienced theft of motor vehicles. Less than 1% (0,2%) of all households in the country experienced theft of motor vehicles. About 57% of households that experienced theft of motor vehicles reported some or all incidences to the police, which is a 33,8 percentage point decrease compared to the previous year. The percentage of households that reported the incidences to the police decreased from 86,3% in 2018/19 to 78,7% in 2019/20, increased to 91,0% in 2020/21, then dropped to 57,2% in 2021/22.

Murder

The percentage of households that reported all or some incidences of murder decreased between 2020/21 (100,0%) and 2021/22 (95,0%). The number of incidences of murder increased from 11 000 in 2020/21 to 20 000 in 2021/22.

Sexual offences

The percentage of households that reported all or some incidences of sexual offences to the police dropped from 69,0% in 2018/19 to 59,9% in 2019/20 before increasing to 88,7% in 2020/21, and then to 90,0% in 2021/22.

Individual experience of crime

Theft of personal property, the most common crime experienced by individuals aged 16 years and older in South Africa, increased from 732 000 in 2020/21 to 1,1 million in 2021/22 .The results indicate that in 2021/22, a total of 1,1 million individuals experienced theft of personal property, followed by those who experienced consumer fraud (376 000) and robbery (246 000).

Females, persons aged 16–34 years and those living in urban areas were most likely to experience theft of personal property and, generally, most victims (69,2%) of theft of personal property did not report the incidences to the police.

Theft of personal property

An estimated 1 331 000 incidences of theft of personal property occurred in 2021/22, affecting 1 105 000 individuals aged 16 years and older. The number of affected individuals represents 2,6% of the population. 30,8% of individuals who experienced theft of personal property reported some or all incidences to the police.

Street robbery

A total of 246 000 (0,6% of adults aged 16 and older) individuals experienced street robbery, with a total of 295 000 incidences. About 34% of the victims reported some or all incidences to the police, a 21,2 percentage point decrease compared to the previous year. The percentage of individuals who reported the incidences to the police increased from 34,8% in 2018/19 to 42,0% in 2019/20, and 54,9% in 2020/21 before it dropped down to 33,7% in 2021/22.

Consumer Fraud

According to the report, the number of incidences of consumer fraud increased from 493 000 in 2020/21 to 844 000 in 2021/22. Females and persons living in urban areas were most likely to experience consumer fraud. The percentage of individuals who reported some or all incidences to the police increased from 41,3% in 2020/21 to 44,2% in 2021/22, a 2,9 percentage point increase compared to the previous year.

Hijacking of motor vehicles

The number of hijacking victims increased from 64 000 in 2020/21 to 134 000 in 2021/22. The estimated 137 000 hijackings occurring in 2021/22 affected 134 000 (0,3%) persons aged 16 years and older. About 63% of the victims reported some or all incidences to the police.

Feelings of safety

Generally, feelings of safety have been declining since 2019/20. The results show that most individuals felt safer walking alone in their area during the day than when it is dark. People in rural areas had a greater feeling of safety walking alone in their areas when it is dark than people in urban areas. However, the feeling of safety during the day in rural areas declined from 70,4% to 65,2% in 2021/22.

For more information, download the full report here.