How to Survive in South Africa’s Most Dangerous Cities: A Guide to Crime and Safety

From murder to robbery, from assault to rape, find out what are the risks and the solutions for living in the urban jungle of South Africa.

How safe are South African cities?
South Africa is a country with a rich and diverse culture, but also a country that faces many challenges, especially in terms of crime and violence.

The levels and types of crime vary across different cities, and some are safer than others. In this article, we will look at some of the factors that affect the safety of South African cities, and some of the initiatives that are being taken to improve the situation.

Crime statistics
One of the sources of information on crime and safety in South African cities is the State of Crime and Safety in SA Cities Report 20201, which is based on data from the South African Police Service (SAPS) and other sources.

The report covers nine of the major cities in the country: Johannesburg, Cape Town, eThekwini, Ekurhuleni, Tshwane, Nelson Mandela Bay, Mangaung, Buffalo City and Msunduzi.

According to the report, the most common types of crime in these cities are property crimes, such as burglary, theft and robbery, followed by contact crimes, such as assault, murder and rape.

The report also shows that there are significant differences in the crime rates and trends among the cities.

For example, Cape Town has the highest murder rate, followed by Nelson Mandela Bay and eThekwini, while Tshwane has the lowest.

Johannesburg has the highest rate of robbery, followed by Ekurhuleni and Cape Town, while Mangaung has the lowest.

Cape Town also has the highest rate of sexual offences, followed by Nelson Mandela Bay and Buffalo City, while Tshwane has the lowest.

The report also reveals that some of the factors that influence the crime patterns in the cities are the socio-economic conditions, the urban design and planning, the availability and quality of public services, the community participation and social cohesion, and the effectiveness and accountability of the criminal justice system.

Safety initiatives
The report also highlights some of the initiatives that are being implemented by the cities and their partners to address the crime and safety challenges. Some of these initiatives are:

The Urban Safety Reference Group (USRG), which is a platform for the cities to share knowledge, experiences and best practices on urban safety and violence prevention, and to advocate for the role of local government in this field.

The USRG is facilitated by the South African Cities Network (SACN) and supported by the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH Inclusive Violence and Crime Prevention Programme (VCP).

The Safer Cities Programme, which is a national programme that aims to reduce crime and violence in urban areas by strengthening the capacity of local government and communities to develop and implement integrated and evidence-based safety strategies.

The programme is led by the Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (COGTA) and supported by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat).

The Community Safety Forums (CSFs), which are structures that bring together various stakeholders, such as the police, the local government, the civil society and the residents, to collaborate and coordinate on safety issues at the local level.

The CSFs are established and supported by the provincial governments, and are guided by the National Crime Prevention Strategy (NCPS) and the White Paper on Safety and Security.

The Safe and Inclusive Cities Programme, which is a research programme that aims to generate evidence on the causes and consequences of urban violence, and the effectiveness of interventions to prevent and reduce it.

The programme is funded by the International Development Research Centre (IDRC) and the UK Department for International Development (DFID), and involves researchers from various institutions in South Africa and other countries.

South Africa is a country that faces many challenges in terms of crime and violence, but also a country that has many opportunities and potential to improve the safety and well-being of its people.

The safety of South African cities depends on the collective efforts and cooperation of various actors, such as the government, the police, the civil society and the residents, to address the root causes and the manifestations of crime and violence, and to promote a culture of peace and social justice.