South Africa continues to grapple with high smash-and-grab hotspots crimes. Recent crime data from the South African Police Service (SAPS) reveals that a total of 19,409 cases of “theft out of or from motor vehicles” were reported during the third quarter of the 2024/2025 period. This equates to around 210 cars being broken into daily between October and December 2024.

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Smash-and-grab crimes involve thieves shattering car windows to snatch valuables such as handbags, cellphones, or laptops. Additionally, criminals target vehicle components that can be quickly resold on the black market, including airbags, batteries, tyres, headlights, and sound systems. While the overall number of incidents has dropped by 12.9% compared to the previous year, some areas remain notorious hotspots.

Gauteng – The Most Smash-and-Grab Hotspots

Gauteng recorded the highest number of smash-and-grab cases, with 5,286 incidents. The top 10 police stations for reported cases in the province are:

Provincial Rank	National Rank	Police Station	Thefts Reported	Change from Previous Year
1	8	Pretoria Central	192	-106
2	11	Sunnyside	173	-29
3	13	Kempton Park	169	-30
4	14	Johannesburg Central	151	-48
5	15	Midrand	150	-36
6	20	Brooklyn	124	-40
7	21	Honeydew	119	-48
8	23	Lyttelton	117	-14
9	28	Akasia	112	+11
10	30	Sandton	110	-22

Western Cape – Nearly as Affected as Gauteng

The Western Cape reported 5,149 cases of theft from motor vehicles. The top 10 smash-and-grab high-risk areas include:

Provincial Rank	National Rank	Police Station	Thefts Reported	Change from Previous Year
1	1	Cape Town Central	206	-206
2	4	Stellenbosch	62	-62
3	5	Sea Point	44	-44
4	12	Bellville	25	-25
5	19	Worcester	1	-1
6	24	Woodstock	0	0
7	26	Paarl	28	-28
8	27	Milnerton	17	+17
9	29	Table View	13	-13
10	31	Goodwood	16	-16

KwaZulu-Natal – Third Most Affected Province

KwaZulu-Natal recorded 2,757 cases. The smash-and-grab highest numbers were in:

Provincial Rank	National Rank	Police Station	Thefts Reported	Change from Previous Year
1	2	Durban Central	295	-79
2	33	Pinetown	105	-61
3	35	Umbilo	102	-27
4	50	Richards Bay	77	-61
5	54	Ladysmith	73	+22
6	57	Pietermaritzburg	73	-15
7	60	Point	71	-9
8	62	Phoenix	70	-5
9	63	Empangeni	70	-16
10	65	Mountain Rise	69	-49

Eastern Cape – 1,847 Reported Incidents

The Eastern Cape recorded 1,847 incidents.

Provincial Rank	National Rank	Police Station	Thefts Reported	Change from Previous Year
1	3	Humewood	203	-55
2	20	East London	184	-67
3	49	Mount Road	133	-27
4	64	Cambridge	116	-12
5	81	Walmer	78	+2
6	89	Qonce	50	-24
7	125	Madiera	43	-20
8	146	Komani	41	+22
9	151	Kabega Park	41	-3
10	159	Swartkops	39	+5

Mpumalanga – 1,037 Cases

Mpumalanga reported 1,037 incidents.

Provincial Rank	National Rank	Police Station	Thefts Reported	Change from Previous Year
1	10	Nelspruit	180	+27
2	18	Witbank	125	0
3	22	Middelburg	117	+12
4	83	Vosman	57	+20
5	117	Secunda	43	+9
6	181	Ermelo

Limpopo – 1,004 Cases

Rank	Police Station	Cases Reported
1	Polokwane	273
2	Namakgale	55
3	Seshego	44
4	Mankweng	43
5	Groblersdal	39
6	Westenburg	38
7	Burgersfort	33
8	Musina	26
9	Mokopane	26
10	Lephalale	23

North West – 951 Cases

Rank	Police Station	Cases Reported
1	Rustenburg	149
2	Klerksdorp	101
3	Potchefstroom	75
4	Mahikeng	56
5	Brits	51
6	Moonooi	34
7	Jouberton	34
8	Mmabatho	41
9	Hartbeespoort	29
10	Tlhabane	25

Free State – 920 Cases

Rank	Police Station	Cases Reported
1	Park Road	205
2	Welkom	73
3	Kagisanong	51
4	Kroonstad	37
5	Phuthaditjhaba	28
6	Bethlehem	27
7	Maokeng	25
8	Sasolburg	25
9	Mangaung	25
10	Bayswater	24

Northern Cape – Least Affected with 458 Cases

Rank	Police Station	Cases Reported
1	Kimberley	95
2	Upington	42
3	Galeshewe	36
4	De Aar	32
5	Kuruman	23
6	Roodepan	21
7	Kathu	20
8	Springbok	15
9	Sunrise	12
10	Kagisho	12

While South Africa has seen a decline in smash-and-grab incidents compared to the previous year, the numbers remain alarmingly high. Motorists are advised to take preventive measures such as keeping valuables out of sight, parking in secure areas, and remaining vigilant at traffic stops to reduce the risk of falling victim to these crimes. Awareness and proactive safety measures can help curb these incidents and protect both property and lives.