Eshowe Precinct
How much crime was reported in the Eshowe precinct?
The Eshowe SAPS precinct recorded 2,760 crimes in Apr 2025–Mar 2026, down 4% compared with Apr 2024–Mar 2025.
A raw count, not adjusted for population: larger police areas serve more people and record more crime.
Latest quarter (Apr–Jun 2026): 631 crimes, about the same as Apr–Jun 2025 (634).
Very High volume for KwaZulu-Natal: the highest fifth of its 184 precincts by reported crime, Apr–Jun 2026.
Nationally Very High: the highest fifth of the 1,165 precincts that reported crime, Apr–Jun 2026.
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 7 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 7 suburbs in this precinct
Reported crimes
2,760
Apr 2025–Mar 2026 · Full year
Compared with 2018/19
↓ 8.4%
fewer than in 2018/19, before the pandemic
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 | 362 | -48 |
| Common assault | 361 | +13 |
| Drug-related crime | 274 | +49 |
| Residential burglary | 259 | +27 |
| All theft not mentioned elsewhere | 237 | -66 |
| Commercial crime | 197 | -31 |
| Aggravated robbery | 158 | -28 |
| Carjacking | 19 | |
| Truck hijacking | 1 | |
| Robbery at residential premises | 48 | |
| Robbery at non-residential premises | 17 | |
| Robbery of cash in transit | 0 | |
| Bank robbery | 0 | |
| Components of aggravated robbery above, already counted in that total. Not additional crimes. | ||
| Malicious damage | 138 | -38 |
| Rape | 96 | -51 |
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 fallen.
The numbers behind that — recent years vs earlier years, averaged to see past a one-year spike
Over ~5 years
→ about the same
avg 23/24–25/26 vs avg 18/19–20/21
Over ~10 years
↓ 7.5%
avg 23/24–25/26 vs avg 13/14–15/16
Year-by-year totals
| Year | Reported crimes |
|---|---|
| 2026/27 (Apr–Jun only) | 631 |
| 2025/26 | 2,760 |
| 2024/25 | 2,876 |
| 2023/24 | 2,659 |
| 2022/23 | 2,644 |
| 2021/22 | 2,729 |
| 2020/21 | 2,514 |
| 2019/20 | 2,854 |
| 2018/19 | 3,012 |
| 2017/18 | 3,323 |
| 2016/17 | 3,053 |
| 2015/16 | 3,059 |
| 2014/15 | 2,976 |
| 2013/14 | 2,935 |
View full crime breakdown table
| Category | 2025-2026 | 2024-2025 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Serious assault | 362 | 410 | -48 |
| Common assault | 361 | 348 | +13 |
| Drug-related crime | 274 | 225 | +49 |
| Residential burglary | 259 | 232 | +27 |
| All theft not mentioned elsewhere | 237 | 303 | -66 |
| Commercial crime | 197 | 228 | -31 |
| Aggravated robbery | 158 | 186 | -28 |
| Carjacking | 19 | 10 | +9 |
| Truck hijacking | 1 | 0 | +1 |
| Robbery at residential premises | 48 | 63 | -15 |
| Robbery at non-residential premises | 17 | 23 | -6 |
| Robbery of cash in transit | 0 | 1 | -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. | |||
| Malicious damage | 138 | 176 | -38 |
| Rape | 96 | 147 | -51 |
| Driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs | 87 | 42 | +45 |
| Attempted murder | 75 | 79 | -4 |
| Business burglary | 66 | 60 | +6 |
| Theft from vehicle | 64 | 64 | 0 |
| Common robbery | 59 | 68 | -9 |
| Shoplifting | 54 | 68 | -14 |
| Murder | 46 | 52 | -6 |
| Stock-theft | 46 | 42 | +4 |
| Kidnapping | 42 | 28 | +14 |
| Illegal possession of firearms and ammunition | 40 | 32 | +8 |
| Crimen injuria | 34 | 11 | +23 |
| Arson | 16 | 12 | +4 |
| Sexual assault | 15 | 13 | +2 |
| Culpable homicide | 14 | 14 | 0 |
| Vehicle theft | 11 | 9 | +2 |
| Attempted sexual offences | 8 | 18 | -10 |
| Neglect and ill-treatment of children | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Abduction | 0 | 2 | -2 |
| Contact sexual offences | 0 | 3 | -3 |
| Public violence | 0 | 2 | -2 |
| Sexual offences detected as a result of police action | 0 | 1 | -1 |
Neighbouring police precincts
Precincts sharing a boundary with Eshowe, listed alphabetically. Counts are for Apr–Jun 2026, changes vs Apr–Jun 2025.
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Eshowe SAPS
King Cetshwayo District Municipality
Contact details last verified: 2026-09-27. Source: SAPS · municipalities.co.za
See Eshowe 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 KwaZulu-Natal precinct around it.
Open Eshowe on the crime map →Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about crime in Eshowe
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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 →