Vryheid Precinct
How much crime was reported in the Vryheid precinct?
The Vryheid SAPS precinct recorded 3,310 crimes in Apr 2025–Mar 2026, down 4.8% 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): 727 crimes, down 16% compared with Apr–Jun 2025 (865).
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 4 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 4 suburbs in this precinct
All these suburbs share the same crime statistics because SAPS reports data at precinct level.
Reported crimes
3,310
Apr 2025–Mar 2026 · Full year
Compared with 2018/19
↑ 3.9%
more 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 |
|---|---|---|
| All theft not mentioned elsewhere | 513 | +62 |
| Commercial crime | 382 | +10 |
| Serious assault | 335 | -80 |
| Common assault | 316 | -52 |
| Drug-related crime | 315 | -14 |
| Residential burglary | 264 | -22 |
| Malicious damage | 183 | +21 |
| Driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs | 131 | +36 |
| Shoplifting | 77 | -49 |
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
↑ 20.4%
avg 23/24–25/26 vs avg 18/19–20/21
Over ~10 years
↑ 5%
avg 23/24–25/26 vs avg 13/14–15/16
Year-by-year totals
| Year | Reported crimes |
|---|---|
| 2026/27 (Apr–Jun only) | 727 |
| 2025/26 | 3,310 |
| 2024/25 | 3,476 |
| 2023/24 | 3,594 |
| 2022/23 | 3,676 |
| 2021/22 | 2,889 |
| 2020/21 | 2,518 |
| 2019/20 | 2,914 |
| 2018/19 | 3,187 |
| 2017/18 | 3,312 |
| 2016/17 | 3,186 |
| 2015/16 | 3,379 |
| 2014/15 | 3,352 |
| 2013/14 | 3,156 |
View full crime breakdown table
| Category | 2025-2026 | 2024-2025 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| All theft not mentioned elsewhere | 513 | 451 | +62 |
| Commercial crime | 382 | 372 | +10 |
| Serious assault | 335 | 415 | -80 |
| Common assault | 316 | 368 | -52 |
| Drug-related crime | 315 | 329 | -14 |
| Residential burglary | 264 | 286 | -22 |
| Malicious damage | 183 | 162 | +21 |
| Driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs | 131 | 95 | +36 |
| Aggravated robbery | 128 | 145 | -17 |
| Carjacking | 3 | 2 | +1 |
| Truck hijacking | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Robbery at residential premises | 14 | 18 | -4 |
| Robbery at non-residential premises | 5 | 13 | -8 |
| Robbery of cash in transit | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 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. | |||
| Theft from vehicle | 115 | 127 | -12 |
| Stock-theft | 92 | 102 | -10 |
| Common robbery | 87 | 113 | -26 |
| Business burglary | 86 | 94 | -8 |
| Shoplifting | 77 | 126 | -49 |
| Rape | 67 | 75 | -8 |
| Kidnapping | 44 | 21 | +23 |
| Attempted murder | 37 | 41 | -4 |
| Crimen injuria | 34 | 32 | +2 |
| Murder | 24 | 28 | -4 |
| Illegal possession of firearms and ammunition | 22 | 31 | -9 |
| Culpable homicide | 19 | 20 | -1 |
| Sexual assault | 18 | 16 | +2 |
| Vehicle theft | 9 | 16 | -7 |
| Arson | 3 | 4 | -1 |
| Neglect and ill-treatment of children | 3 | 3 | 0 |
| Abduction | 2 | 1 | +1 |
| Attempted sexual offences | 2 | 2 | 0 |
| Contact sexual offences | 2 | 1 | +1 |
| Public violence | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Sexual offences detected as a result of police action | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Neighbouring police precincts
Precincts sharing a boundary with Vryheid, listed alphabetically. Counts are for Apr–Jun 2026, changes vs Apr–Jun 2025.
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Vryheid SAPS
Zululand District Municipality
Contact details last verified: 2026-09-27. Source: SAPS · municipalities.co.za
See Vryheid 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 Vryheid on the crime map →Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about crime in Vryheid
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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 →