Hijacking hotspots in South Africa: THIS is the worst – and best – province

The South African Police Service (SAPS) has published the latest crime stats for the first quarter of 2022/23 which represents data for the period from April to June 2022.

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While crime levels overall remained relatively flat compared to the same period 12 months prior, some categories have shown worrying increases.

Among those was car hijackings, with data showing a 14% increase year-on-year.

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A total of 5 866 hijackings were reported across the country over the period, up by 720 from a total of 5 146 over the same period 12 months prior.

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In the 91-day period, that equates to 64 per day – or a car stolen every 22 minutes in Mzansi.

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Year-on-year comparison:

April to June 2018 – 4 002 hijackings / 44 per day

April to June 2019 – 4 550 hijackings / 50 per day

April to June 2020 – 2 677 hijackings / 29 per day

April to June 2021 – 5 146 hijackings / 57 per day

April to June 2022 – 5 866 hijackings / 64 per day

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Which is the worst province for hijackings?

Gauteng is by some distance the worst when it comes to hijackings and is responsible for 3 113 of the 5 866 reported during the three-month period (53%).

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In terms of overall hijacking numbers per province for April to June 2022, the list looks like this:

Gauteng – 3 113

KwaZulu-Natal – 913

Western Cape – 754

Eastern Cape – 406

Mpumalanga – 302

Limpopo – 146

North West – 145

Free State – 73

Northern Cape – 14

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