Theft from Vehicles in South Africa
SAPS definition: “Theft out of or from motor vehicle consists of the unlawful and intentional removal of parts, accessories or equipment, that form part of a motor vehicle, or articles in or on the vehicle.” — SAPS Crime Definitions (2012), as published by the Institute for Security Studies.
SAPS recorded 17,969 theft from vehicles cases across South Africa in Apr–Jun 2026, stable vs Apr–Jun 2025.
Latest quarter (Apr–Jun 2026): 17,969 theft from vehicles cases, roughly unchanged vs Apr–Jun 2025.
Ranked by province below.
Note: Raw reported counts — not adjusted for population. Provinces with more residents will naturally report more cases.
Is theft from vehicles rising or falling in South Africa?
Dashed: Apr–Jun 2026 only (1 of 4 quarters published) — a partial year, not comparable with the full years before it.
Which provinces report the most theft from vehicles?
Bars coloured by direction vs the previous year: green = improved, red = worsened, grey = within ±2%. Sorted by Apr–Jun 2026 count.
| Province | Apr–Jun 2026 | vs Apr–Jun 2025 |
|---|---|---|
| Gauteng | 5,241 | +4.2% |
| Western Cape | 4,832 | +1.5% |
| KwaZulu-Natal | 2,281 | -12.4% |
| Eastern Cape | 1,765 | +5.2% |
| North West | 864 | -9.6% |
| Mpumalanga | 856 | +4.8% |
| Free State | 828 | -1.4% |
| Limpopo | 815 | +0.2% |
| Northern Cape | 487 | +8.2% |