The three most violent cities in South Africa
Cape Town has seen a spike in its murder rate - giving the city the dishonour of climbing a global ranking of the world’s most violent cities.
Listed as the most violent city in South Africa, Cape Town now ranks 11th on a list compiled by the Mexican Council for Public Security and Criminal Justice.
In the 2018 list, Cape Town ranked 11th with a murder rate of 66.4 per 100,000 people – far worse than the 62.3 per 100,000 people in 2017. In 2018, Cape Town had a population of 4,322,031 people and 2,868 homicides.
In South Africa, two other cities are listed outside of Cape Town: Durban, and Nelson Mandela Bay.
Nelson Mandela Bay murder rate worsen from 37.5 per 100,000 in 2017, to 39.2 per 100,000 in 2018. Making it again the second most violent city in the country. It ranks 45th, globally.
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In 2018, Nelson Mandela Bay had a population of 1,220,616 people and 478 homicides.
Durban’s murder and crime rate also increased marginally, from 38.1 per 100,000 in 2017, to 38.5 per 100,000 in 2018. However, its position on the overall list improved, from 44th in 2017 to 47th in 2018.
In 2018, Durban had a population of 4,055,969 population and 1,562 homicides.
Despite its reputation for high levels of crime, Johannesburg’s murder rate was not high enough to be ranked among the top 50.