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According to the latest Crime Index by Numbeo, South Africa’s capital is the country’s most dangerous city.

That would be Pretoria, even though we might assume it’s Cape Town – you know, since the Mother City is often referred to as the murder capital of the country (if not the world).

The international survey-based website uses data from participants’ feelings and perceptions rather than actual crime statistics, providing current and timely information on world living conditions including cost of living, housing indicators, health care, traffic, crime and pollution.

In Numbeo’s Crime Index, residents from over 400 cities worldwide were asked to rank the volume of crime in their cities, with most people ranking three South African cities in the top 10 most dangerous spots.

As SA People notes, South Africa’s largest hubs were ranked among the world’s 20 worst crime hotspots namely Durban, Johannesburg and Cape Town.

It is no secret that crime is rife in South Africa as statistics by the South African Police Service (SAPS) show an increase in the various types of crime each quarter especially murder, rape, hijacking and kidnapping.

Caracas in Venezuela takes the top spot for the most crime-ridden city in the world, followed by Pretoria in second place, Durban in third place, and then Johannesburg in fifth.

Check out the top 10 cities with the most crime according to the Crime Index 2023:

Image: Numbeo

If you look further down the list, Port Elizabeth (Gqeberha) takes the 11th spot while Cape Town ranks in 20th place on the worldwide table.

The 2021 stats showed Pretoria at third, followed again by Durban, Johannesburg and also Pietermaritzburg.

Either people are getting more paranoid in Pretoria, or crime is actually increasing. Taking a look at Crime Stats SA, Gauteng has the most crime, followed by Western Cape and then KwaZulu-Natal:

Image: Crime Stats SA

You can take a look at more of those stats here.

[source:sapeople]