Crime in South Africa's Metropolitan Areas, 2001

compiled by Mark Isserow

 
 

Introduction

The following graphs are based on data obtained from the South African Police Services (SAPS). The SAPS data were reflected as crimes recorded by the SAPS by police area. Total figures for each crime type were calculated for the year 2001, and an overall number ascertained for each of the following six Metropolitan areas: Johannesburg, Ekurhuleni, Durban, Cape Town, Nelson Mandela and Tshwane. Population figures for these areas were obtained from the Municipal Demarcation Board of South Africa.

While SAPS data were available for the years 1996 - 2000, only data for the period January - June were available for 2001. For the periods 1996-2000, it was calculated that there was an average increase in all crimes by approximately 2% for the latter six months of the year than during the first six. Based on the crime figures for the first half of 2001, it was possible to extrapolate the figures for the last 6 months, taking into account this average increase. However, since this is an extrapolation and not actual figures received by the SAPS, the data should be viewed and reported on with caution.

Based on the number of reported crime incidences and the population figures for each Metropolitan area, a ratio of crime incidents to population was calculated, and expressed as a ratio per 100 000 people, or as occurring to one person in every … nth. This then allows for a comparison between Metros, as the data reflects crimes on a per capita basis, not as actual frequencies.

 

• Per capita, the Cape Town Metropolitan area and the Tshwane Metropolitan area have the highest incidence of residential burglaries than other Metros. One in seventy five people in Cape Town, and one in 92 people in Tshwane were victims of this crime.
• Per capita, Durban has the lowest rate of residential burglaries, with 1 in 145 people being the victims of a residential burglary.

 

• As with residential burglaries, Cape Town has the highest rate of business burglaries per capita, with this occurring to 1 in every 280 people.
• Per capita, Tshwane has the lowest rate of business burglaries, with 1 in every 469 people being a victim of this crime.

 

• Per capita, Johannesburg ranks highest in terms of aggravated robberies involving the use of firearms. For Johannesburg in 2001,there were approximately 23,980 recorded cases of aggravated robbery involving the use of a firearm. Based on the population figure of 2 639 110 for Johannesburg for 2001, this means that 1 in every 110 people were victims of an aggravated robbery involving the use of a firearm.
• Nelson Mandela had the lowest rate per capita for this crime type, with 1 in 545 people being victims of an aggravated robbery involving the use of a firearm.
• Individuals are five times more likely to be a victim of a robbery involving the use of a firearm in Johannesburg than they are in Nelson Mandela.

 

• Aggravated robberies not involving the use of firearms are more likely to occur (per capita) in Cape Town (1 in 839) and Johannesburg (1 in 1128) than in other Metros.
• Of all Metros studied, aggravated robbery not involving firearms is least likely to occur (per capita) in Ekurhuleni (1 in 2127) and Nelson Mandela (1 in 1894).
• An individual is 2.5 times more likely to be a victim of an aggravated robbery not involving a firearm in Cape Town than they are in Ekurhuleni.
• While figures for aggravated robbery not involving firearms is lower than for aggravated robbery involving firearms, this does not mean that there are fewer incidences of this type, but possibly that aggravated robberies involving firearms are more likely to be reported than those not involving a firearm.

 

• Robbery (other) occurs more frequently per capita in the Johannesburg Metropolitan area than any other.
• Per capita, it occurs least in the Nelson Mandela Metro, with one in every four hundred and fifty two being a victim of this crime.

 

• One in every sixty five people was a victim of theft from a motor vehicle in Cape Town.
• The rate of theft from a motor vehicle is lowest in Ekurhuleni, with one in one hundred and fifty nine people being a victim of this crime in 2001.

 

• Per capita, Johannesburg (1 in 129) and Tshwane (1 in 145) rank highest vis-à-vis motor theft, and Nelson Mandela (1 in 452) the lowest.

 

• Per capita, Johannesburg and Ekurhuleni have the highest rate of car-jackings of all Metro areas, with an occurrence rate of 1 in 605 (Jhb) and 1 in 757 (Ekurhuleni) respectively.
• Conversely, Nelson Mandela and Cape Town have the lowest rate of car-jackings per capita, with an occurrence of 1 in 4067 (Cape Town) and 1 in 5593 in Nelson Mandela.
• An individual is 9 times more likely to be a victim of a car-jacking in Johannesburg than they are in Nelson Mandela.

 

• Common assault (per ratio of population) occurs most frequently in Nelson Mandela and Cape Town than in the other Metros.
• Per capita, it occurs least in Durban and Ekurhuleni

 

• Serious assault occurs at a higher rate per capita in Nelson Mandela (1 in 98) and Johannesburg (1 in 127) than in other Metros, with the rate of occurrence per capita lowest in Durban (1 in 247).

 

• Culpable homicide ranks highest per capita in Johannesburg and Cape Town than in other Metropolitan areas, and lowest in Tshwane and Nelson Mandela.
• However, the variance between all Metros is not great, with the range of the lowest (Nelson Mandela) being 22/100 000 people, and the highest (Johannesburg) being 30/100 000 people.

 

• Per capita, attempted murder is greatest in Cape Town (1 in 879 people), and Johannesburg (1 in 954) and lowest in Tshwane (1 in 1468) and Nelson Mandela (1 in 1639).

 

• Per capita, the murder rate is highest in Cape Town and Johannesburg, and lowest in Tshwane and Ekurhuleni.
• An individual is twice more likely to be murdered in Durban (68 per 100 000) than they are in Tshwane (34 per 100 000), and 2.4 times more likely to be murdered in Cape Town than in Tshwane.

 

• Rape (all ages) per capita occurs at the highest rate in Nelson Mandela (1 in 559) and Johannesburg (1 in 607) and lowest in Cape Town (1 in 774) and Durban (1 in 808).
• An individual is 1.4 times more likely to be raped in Nelson Mandela than they are in Durban.

 

© Centre for the Study of Violence and Reconciliation