Victims of crime survey: Gauteng, Mpumalanga most at risk while Limpopo residents feel safer

By Thapelo Molefe

Housebreaking remains the most common crime affecting South African households, while theft of personal property and consumer fraud dominate crimes experienced by individuals.

This is according to the Governance, Public Safety and Justice Survey (GPSJS) 2024/25, released on Tuesday by Statistician-General Risenga Maluleke.

The survey found that an estimated 1.5 million incidents of housebreaking occurred in 2024/25, affecting 1.1 million households, or 5.7% of all households in the country.

However, fewer than half of these cases (43%) were reported to the police.

Maluleke said that while housebreaking decreased slightly compared to 2023/24, other crimes rose. Home robberies affected 213,000 households, a 12% increase, while sexual offences against households surged by 55.3% to 73,000 cases. Murder at household level, however, dropped by nearly 12% to 59,000 cases.

At an individual level, theft of personal property was the most prevalent crime, with 1.3 million incidents reported, representing 2.6% of