By Thapelo Molefe
Gauteng residents, particularly those living in metropolitan areas, face some of the country’s highest levels of street robbery and theft of personal property, while more than 73% say they feel unsafe walking alone in their neighbourhoods after dark, according to Statistics South Africa.
The findings are contained in Stats SA’s 2025/26 Governance, Public Safety and Justice Survey, released by Statistician-General Risenga Maluleke on Tuesday alongside the 2025/26 Victims of Crime report.
The survey found that people living in metropolitan areas were more likely to experience several forms of crime than those living outside metros, with street robbery particularly concentrated in urban areas.
About 312,000 people aged 16 and older living in metros experienced street robbery during 2025/26, representing 1.5% of the metro population. This compares with 147,000 people, or 0.6%, in non-metropolitan areas.
The Western Cape recorded the highest proportion of people experiencing street robbery at 1.7%,
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