South Africans keep housebreaking complaints off the books as trust in police frays
Nearly half of South African housebreaking victims did not report the crime to police in the latest Victims of Crime survey released by Statistics South
Nearly half of South African housebreaking victims did not report the crime to police in the latest Victims of Crime survey released by Statistics South Africa on Sept. 1, 2026. Many said officers would “do nothing” or could not act without proof.
The finding lands hard in a country where housebreaking remains the most common crime affecting homes. Stats SA said the survey for 2024/25 estimated 1.5 million incidents of housebreaking, hitting about 1.1 million households, yet only 43% of cases were reported to police.
Police trust sits at the center
The most common explanation for staying silent was blunt. Victims believed police could do nothing, or that there was no evidence to move a case forward. That sentiment has helped keep housebreaking among South Africa’s least reported crimes, even as it remains one of the most frequent.
Statistician-General Risenga Maluleke presented the report in Tshwane on Tuesday, saying housebreaking occurs five times more often than home robbery, the next most common household crime. The numbers point to a stubborn gap between what households experience and what reaches official crime statistics.
The survey also showed theft of personal property, the most frequent crime against individuals, is reported to police in only about a third of cases. The pattern is not confined to one type of offence. It runs through the data.
Why the gap matters
Underreporting changes the picture police and policymakers work with. If victims stay away from stations, official figures can understate the scale of crime and blur where help is most needed. It also leaves officers with fewer leads, fewer witnesses and fewer chances to build cases.
For households, the choice not to report can become self-reinforcing. A burglary happens, a complaint is not opened, and the next victim sees little reason to try. The survey suggests that cycle is already well established.
The report adds to a broader tension in South Africa over crime measurement, where survey findings and police records do not always line up cleanly. For housebreaking victims, though, the reason for keeping quiet was plain enough. Police, many said, would not take action.
