South Africa has a new murder capital with nearly a killing a day
Recent mass shootings and murders have spotlighted how, despite strides to improve crime, South Africa remains a murderous nation.
The country has roughly 60 murders a day.
Many of these aren’t making the headlines.
In one township, things have gotten so bad that the murder rate is roughly 16% higher than the next deadliest area.
South Africa’s New Murder Capital
In Mfuleni, a township in Cape Town, 73 murders were reported in 3 months.
Between April and June 2026, a period of only 91 days, this data indicates there was nearly a murder every day.
Mfuleni, which is 50 years old, currently takes the top spot, beating other murderous regions.
Yet, crime in the township is declining, according to the South African Police Service (SAPS) data.
In the three months ending June 2026, crime dropped by 2.6% compared to the same period in 2025.
The most common crime in the area is common assault, followed by drug-related crime.
While things have improved according to the most recent crime stats, zoom out and crime is up 11.8% compared to 2019.
| Police Precinct | Murders | Difference (Q1 2025) |
|---|---|---|
| Mfuleni | 73 | +1.4% |
| Inanda | 63 | -19.2% |
| Nyanga | 56 | -3.4% |
| Delft | 53 | -24.3% |
| Philipi East | 53 | -1.9% |
| Umlazi | 49 | -10.9% |
| Harare | 49 | -9.3% |
| Khayelitsha | 44 | -4.3% |
| Kraaifontein | 43 | +2.4% |
| Ivory Park | 43 | -17.3% |
Some have suggested socioeconomic conditions could be the cause of the violent crime.
The Mfuleni police precinct serves 146 147 residents across 29 square kilometres, according to 2022 census data.
While the area is overcrowded, it’s not as overcrowded as other Cape Town townships like Nyanga, which reported 20.8% fewer crimes over the same period.
The Nyanga police precinct serves 177 225 residents over 9 square kilometres.
South Africa’s Attempted Murder Capital
While the 50-year-old township doesn’t take the top spot in attempted murders, it still features in the top 10.
In the three months ending June 2026, 43 attempted murders were recorded in Mfuleni.
This pales in comparison to areas like Inanda, Umlazi, and Ntuzuma in KwaZulu-Natal, which recorded 104, 78, and 74 murders respectively.
Areas like Worcester in the Western Cape and Margate in KwaZulu-Natal also feature in the top 10.
The latter made the list with 41 attempted murders, up 46.4% from the same period a year before.
These figures also suggest new murder hotspots could be on the horizon.
| Police Precinct | Attempted Murders | Difference (Q1 2025) |
|---|---|---|
| Inanda | 104 | +16.9% |
| Umlazi | 78 | -15.2% |
| Ntuzuma | 74 | +54.2% |
| Verulam | 70 | +59.1% |
| Mitchells Plain | 47 | +2.2% |
| Worcester | 45 | -18.2% |
| Manenberg | 43 | +87% |
| Mfuleni | 43 | -8.7% |
| Kwadukuza | 42 | +110% |
| Margate | 41 | +46.4% |
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