#CrimeStats: Sandton one of the least safe areas in SA

Gauteng said to be a haven for criminals. Ayanda Ndamane / African News Agency (ANA)

Gauteng said to be a haven for criminals. Ayanda Ndamane / African News Agency (ANA)

Published Sep 12, 2018

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Johannesburg - Sandton, the richest square mile in Africa, has made it onto the top 30 national list of areas in which people are not safe in their homes.

According to crime statistics released yesterday, although the affluent area recorded a decrease in house robberies, it was still number five on the top 30 crime blacklist.

Sandton recorded 208 cases, down by 8% from 226 in the 2016/17 financial year.

Honeydew was branded the worst place to live in after it topped the list with 360 cases, up by 6.8% from 337 cases in the previous financial year. It was followed by Ivory Park with 321 cases, up by 7.7% from 298 cases.

Florida in Roodepoort and Springs in Ekurhuleni went up from 141 and 129 to 168 and 143, respectively.

Though Joburg's Mondeor and Midrand also had a decrease in home robberies, they made it to the top 30 list. Mondeor went down from 149 to 141 while the robberies in Midrand decreased from 216 to 139.

Sandton also made it to the top of the list in other crimes, including robbery with aggravating circumstances - up by 1.7% from 812 to 826.

Joburg Central recorded a decrease in the robberies from 2181 to 1954, while Hillbrow made it to the list when it recorded an increase in robberies from 1308 to 1358.

Kagiso on the West Rand was number five on the top 30 national list of areas with a high rape rate. It had 210 cases, up from 195, while Dobsonville, Soweto, fell from 200 to 182 cases.

Tembisa had a sharp increase of 45.6%, from 103 cases to 150.

Sexual offences in Sandton went up from three to six cases. Theft of motor vehicles in the area went up by 3.7% from 355 to 368.

DA Gauteng premier candidate Solly Msimanga said the statistics indicated that Gauteng had “become a haven for criminals, with murder and sexual offences on the rise”.

“Murder and rape is rife, yet residents have lost confidence in police. They claim they report these crime incidents but police are apathetic.”

@smashaba

The Star

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