Top 10 Most Dangerous Areas In Cape Town (2024)

The natural beauty of Cape Town is what draws the most visitors to this hip and happening metropolis. Located on the coast, the city is known for its beaches and the striking silhouette of Table Mountain. Here, you can both ride the waves and see the local penguin population. There is a wealth of history and an eclectic blend of cultures.

However, this city has been facing security difficulties that have been ongoing for quite some time. Cape Town’s reputation for security has long been damaged by crimes including robbery, mugging, assault, carjacking, and gang violence, which are typically (though not always) fueled by the city’s high poverty rate. The apartheid regime’s long reign has exacerbated existing social problems.

So, you may need to know the most dangerous areas in Cape Town, read on as we have documented all of these in this guide.

Top 10 Most Dangerous Areas In Cape Town

1. Nyanga

In addition to being one of Cape Town’s poorest neighborhoods, Nyanga also happens to be one of the dangerous areas to stay in Cape Town. Unemployment was projected to be at 56% in 2001, and HIV/AIDS is a major problem in the area.

The murder rate in Nyanga dropped from 308 in 2016 to 289 in 2017. Both Delft and Khayelitsha had an increase in homicides from the previous year; Delft saw 247 homicides, while Khayelitsha saw 221.

2. Gugulethu

Western Cape, South Africa is home to the township of Gugulethu, which is just around 15 kilometers from the city of Cape Town. The name comes from the Xhosa phrase for “our pride,” which is igugu lethu. In the 1960s, the township was founded beside Nyanga.

One of the ten worst neighborhoods in the Western Cape is Gugulethu. In 2017, there were 238 reported sexual offenses, 173 rapes, 618 assaults with the aim to cause great bodily injury, and 720 robberies with aggravating circumstances.

A young white American woman named Amy Biehl was brutally murdered in Gugulethu in the chaos that followed the end of apartheid and preceded the multi-racial election in August 1993. After a trial in 1998, four individuals were found guilty of Amy’s murder. The Truth and Reconciliation Committee issued an amnesty for them.

3. Khayalitsha

Located on the Cape Flats in the City of Cape Town Metropolitan Municipality, Khayelitsha is a township in the Western Cape of South Africa. It means “New Home” in the Xhosa language. Some claim it to be South Africa’s largest and most rapidly expanding township.

In addition to being one of the Western Cape suburbs affected by gun violence and extortion, Khayelitsha has also seen a high rate of murder. According to police data, there were 90 multiple murder victims in the province between April and June, resulting in the opening of 37 cases. The crime data for the 2020/21 fiscal year show that Khayelitsha had the most homicides overall, with 265.

Several people drown in Monwabisi beach in Khayelitsha, which is on the shore of False Bay. Attempts to create a safe haven by constructing a wall backfired, turning the area’s waters into strong currents. More than fifty persons have perished at Monwabisi in the past five years.

4. Mfuleni

Mfuleni is a new community located around 32 kilometers from Cape Town’s downtown. Many people in this township are Black, however there are also people of Color living there.

According to data from the year 2021, Mfuleni is more unsafe than 93 percent of South African suburbs. In 2021, there will be 1,135.79 incidents of crime for per 1,000 residents in Mfuleni. Everyone in Mfuleni is at risk of becoming a victim of crime at a rate of 1 victim per 1,000 people.

5. Phillipi

Philippi, in Cape Town, Western Cape, South Africa, is a sizable urban and semi-urban area. To the west lies the Philippi Horticultural Area, while to the east are the communities of Brown’s Farm, Philippi East, and Samora Machel.

One of several neighborhoods in Cape Town plagued by violent criminals is Philippi East. More than 2,300 people have been murdered in the Western Cape since November 2018.

6. Mitchell’s Plain

Mitchells Plain is a sizable township inside the borders of Cape Town, Western Cape, South Africa, and it is located roughly 28 kilometers from the heart of Cape Town. There are a number of smaller suburbs within this massive residential region, making it one of the largest in all of South Africa.

The precinct served by the Mitchell’s Plain Police Station is no stranger to large numbers of major crimes, since it is routinely ranked among the province’s top 10 in nearly every measure of criminality.

7. Bonteheuwel

The town of Bonteheuwel was built in the 1960s as a “Dumping Site” for black Capetonians who were being expelled from the city. This was made possible by the Group Areas Act of 1950, which established separate neighborhoods for blacks and whites. This legislation marked the beginning of Apartheid.

The high rates of violent crime and murder in Bonteheuwel have left locals living in fear.

8. Delft

Located outside of Cape Town, Delft is a township in South Africa. The Cape Town International Airport, Belhar, Blue Downs, Ikwezi Park, Mandalay, Luzuko, Phillipi East, and Site C, Khayelitsha are all nearby.

Alternatively, Delft is a dangerous and unemployed working class neighborhood. This is common sense for any Cape Town resident, yet it runs counter to the data on violent crime.

9. Elsies River

The local farmer Elsje van Suurwaarde in 1698 is likely the inspiration for the name Elsies River. Elsje, a matriarch who was baptized on October 8th, 1662 in the Cape of Good Hope, was a hard worker who outlived both of her husbands. After her passing, the farm went through a number of owners.

This area is one of the placed with highest crime rate in Cape Town.

10. Manenberg

Last in the list of most dangerous areas in Cape Town is Manenberg. In 1966, the Apartheid government of South Africa built Manenberg, a township in Cape Town, for low-income Colored families in the Cape Flats and District Six. This happened because the National Party engaged in a campaign of forcible removal. Over 52,000 people call this place home, according to projections.

In spite of this, the murder rate in Manenberg, a suburb of Cape Town that was severely damaged by gang control and violence during the apartheid era, is shockingly high at 108 per 100,000 residents. The level of violence here is on par with that in the world’s most dangerous cities.

Related:

• Safest Areas In Cape Town
• Best Areas To Stay In Cape Town

Conclusion

If you are in quest to know areas to avoid in cape town, perhaps for travel purposes of residential purposes, we have listed cape town dangerous areas and all you need to know in this content.