While national carjacking cases have shown a welcome downward trajectory, dropping from 4 533 in the first three months of last year to 3 609 in the same period this year, Alexandra is moving in the opposite direction, according to the latest crime statistics.

The national fourth‑quarter crime statistics for the 2025/26 financial year, covering the period between January and March 2026, were presented in Pretoria on Friday by Acting Police Minister Firoz Cachalia.
Cachalia stressed that Gauteng remains an epicentre of several forms of violent organised crimes, and continues to dominate the country’s hijacking and kidnapping figures.

Read more: Crime stats remain high

The stats show that the impact of carjackings was felt most acutely in Alexandra. The station recorded 63 carjackings in the first three months of 2026, making it the country’s highest contributor of hijacking cases for the first quarter.

The persistent targeting of e‑hailing vehicles and motorists, as local police have previously reported, has cast a shadow over Alexandra, positioning it as the national epicentre of vehicle hijackings.

The station’s figures reflect a continuation of a pattern already visible in previous reporting periods. In the third quarter of the 2025/26 financial year, Alexandra recorded 76 hijackings, rising from the 36 counts reported during the same period the previous year. This represented an increase of 40 counts and signalled a worsening trajectory that has carried through into the fourth quarter of 2026.

The fourth‑quarter hijacking statistics have been deteriorating since 2023, even though Alexandra previously recorded slightly lower counts than many stations in the national top‑30 list.

The upward trend stands in stark contrast to national and provincial patterns. Across South Africa, carjacking cases declined significantly from 4 533 in the previous quarter to 3 609 between January and March. Gauteng’s provincial figures also show a 17.1% decrease compared to the same period in 2025, although they still remain alarmingly high. Yet Alexandra continues to buck the trend.

Other violent crimes in the township have also shown worrying increases. Murder climbed to 31 cases, up by nine from last year, while attempted murder rose to 44 from 27. Kidnappings surged to 33 cases between January and March, 17 more than the same period last year. Robbery with aggravating circumstances jumped by more than 50%, rising from 95 to 150 cases.

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Despite the alarming carjacking statistics, Alexandra has shown notable improvement in certain categories. In the fourth quarter, the station fell out of the national top‑30 stations grappling with sexual offences. Although eight women were reported as rape victims in January alone, the overall sexual‑offence trends for the quarter placed the station outside the worst‑performing areas.

Cachalia said that despite improvements in some categories, the overall levels of violence and criminality in South Africa remain deeply troubling.

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