Mthatha Precinct
How much crime was reported in the Mthatha precinct?
The Mthatha SAPS precinct recorded 4,672 crimes in Apr 2025–Mar 2026, up 4.4% vs Apr 2024–Mar 2025.
Latest quarter (Apr–Jun 2026): 985 crimes, down 13.3% vs Apr–Jun 2025 (1,136).
Largest categories
Whole-precinct figures, reported crime only, raw counts. Source: SAPS quarterly crime statistics (saps.gov.za), Apr 2025–Mar 2026.
What this data can't tell you
How we handle these →Where within the precinct. SAPS reports one figure for the whole area; all 11 suburbs share it.
Unreported crime. Only crime reported to police is counted, so real incidence is higher.
Crime per resident. Raw counts, no population adjustment — the trend is the steadier signal.
View 11 suburbs in this precinct
All these suburbs share the same crime statistics because SAPS reports data at precinct level.
Reported crimes
4,672
Apr 2025–Mar 2026 · Full year
vs pre-COVID baseline
↑ 5.1%
above 2018-2019
Updated · SAPS Q1 2026-27 release
Crime breakdown
Top reported offences in 2025-2026, with change vs Apr 2024–Mar 2025
| Crime category | Reported count | Change vs Apr 2024–Mar 2025 |
|---|---|---|
| Serious assault | 664 | +56 |
| Common assault | 630 | +23 |
| All theft not mentioned elsewhere | 485 | +29 |
| Residential burglary | 338 | -34 |
| Stock-theft | 331 | +6 |
| Malicious damage | 301 | +7 |
| Aggravated robbery | 295 | -50 |
| Carjacking | 50 | |
| Truck hijacking | 0 | |
| Robbery at residential premises | 63 | |
| Robbery at non-residential premises | 33 | |
| Robbery of cash in transit | 1 | |
| Bank robbery | 0 | |
| Components of aggravated robbery above, already counted in that total. Not additional crimes. | ||
| Driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs | 244 | +213 |
| Rape | 219 | -37 |
Crime over time
Reported crimes per SAPS financial year, by category
Crime trend by year
Dashed: Apr–Jun 2026 only (1 of 4 quarters published) — a partial year, not comparable with the full years before it.
Hollow points with dashed lines indicate years with fewer than 4 quarters of data — those totals may be lower because SAPS has not released every quarter.
Over the past decade, crime here has risen.
The numbers behind that — recent years vs earlier years, averaged to see past a one-year spike
Over ~5 years
↑ 6.5%
avg 23/24–25/26 vs avg 18/19–20/21
Over ~10 years
↑ 36.9%
avg 23/24–25/26 vs avg 13/14–15/16
View full crime breakdown table
| Category | 2025-2026 | 2024-2025 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Serious assault | 664 | 608 | +56 |
| Common assault | 630 | 607 | +23 |
| All theft not mentioned elsewhere | 485 | 456 | +29 |
| Residential burglary | 338 | 372 | -34 |
| Stock-theft | 331 | 325 | +6 |
| Malicious damage | 301 | 294 | +7 |
| Aggravated robbery | 295 | 345 | -50 |
| Carjacking | 50 | 62 | -12 |
| Truck hijacking | 0 | 2 | -2 |
| Robbery at residential premises | 63 | 66 | -3 |
| Robbery at non-residential premises | 33 | 35 | -2 |
| Robbery of cash in transit | 1 | 0 | +1 |
| Bank robbery | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Components of aggravated robbery above, already counted in that total. Not additional crimes. SAPS reports these both individually and within the aggravated-robbery figure. | |||
| Driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs | 244 | 31 | +213 |
| Commercial crime | 231 | 211 | +20 |
| Rape | 219 | 256 | -37 |
| Murder | 172 | 153 | +19 |
| Drug-related crime | 156 | 123 | +33 |
| Theft from vehicle | 123 | 141 | -18 |
| Business burglary | 94 | 78 | +16 |
| Common robbery | 79 | 80 | -1 |
| Attempted murder | 65 | 74 | -9 |
| Vehicle theft | 56 | 52 | +4 |
| Illegal possession of firearms and ammunition | 46 | 75 | -29 |
| Crimen injuria | 39 | 61 | -22 |
| Culpable homicide | 39 | 45 | -6 |
| Kidnapping | 23 | 37 | -14 |
| Sexual assault | 21 | 20 | +1 |
| Arson | 8 | 19 | -11 |
| Neglect and ill-treatment of children | 4 | 3 | +1 |
| Shoplifting | 4 | 2 | +2 |
| Attempted sexual offences | 2 | 5 | -3 |
| Public violence | 2 | 4 | -2 |
| Contact sexual offences | 1 | 0 | +1 |
| Abduction | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Sexual offences detected as a result of police action | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Neighbouring police precincts
Precincts sharing a boundary with Mthatha, listed alphabetically
See Mthatha on the national crime map
View this precinct's boundary in context, with a year-by-year timeline back to 2013/14 and every other Eastern Cape precinct around it.
Open Mthatha on the crime map →Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about crime in Mthatha
Check another area
Data Sources & Notes
- Crime data: SAPS quarterly crime statistics
- SAPS data reflects reported crime only. Crime reporting rates vary by area. How much crime goes unreported? →
- This data is for informational purposes only and should not be used as the sole basis for safety or property decisions. Full disclaimer
- Full methodology →