South Africa’s car crime hotspots shift as hijackings decline

Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal dominate South Africa’s vehicle crime statistics for theft and hijacking, according to Tracker’s latest findings from the first half of 2026. The two provinces account for nearly all reported incidents, even as national vehicle-related crime rates have fallen over the past 12 months.

Tracker’s analysis highlights that business-owned vehicles still face far higher risks than private cars, though the gap has narrowed. These vehicles are now 17% more likely to be targeted than personal vehicles, down from a 48% premium just one year earlier. Across the country, hijackings represent the majority of crimes against business vehicles, while thefts account for 55% of incidents involving personal cars.

Regional crime patterns show striking variations. In the Eastern Cape, consumer hijackings outnumber thefts by a two-to-one margin. The Western Cape sees hijackings exceed thefts by 42%, and Mpumalanga follows the same trend. For businesses, the disparity is even more pronounced: in the Eastern Cape, hijackings occur nearly five times more often than thefts, and in Mpumalanga, the ratio rises to more than eight to one.

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The balance between theft and hijacking has shifted nationally, reversing the post-COVID surge in hijackings that followed the return of normal vehicle usage.

Delft in the Western Cape remains the most dangerous area for motorists, with nearly 100 hijackings recorded in the first three months of 2026 alone. Nationwide, there were 3,811 hijackings during this period, averaging 41 incidents per day. Gauteng accounted for nearly 60% of these, hosting six of the top ten hijacking hotspots. In Johannesburg, Ivory Park logged 68 hijackings, Alexandra had 62, and Kempton Park recorded 54.

While hijackings declined by 18.2% year-over-year, from 4,657 in 2025 to 3,811 in 2026, the true scale remains unclear. An estimated 23% of hijackings go unreported, meaning the actual figures could be significantly higher. The data highlights ongoing regional inequalities, as Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal continue to drive the majority of vehicle crime despite overall reductions.