With longstanding
economic disparity and ongoing racial tension, the nation of South
Africa has six of the ten most dangerous cities on the continent.
Police in Cape Town, South Africa block the road to deal with a public disturbance on the city's streets.
As the African continent offers ever more economic opportunities and
unique places to visit, many of its burgeoning major cities are
concurrently becoming more susceptible to crime. Furthermore, in
countries such as South Africa,
where apartheid (the legal segregation of ethnic groups and races there
from 1948 to 1994) was once a deeply ingrained practice, racial tension
remains high, and xenophobia-related violence (that out of fear of
those different than one's own self) often still occurs. Using the sets
of crime indices Numbeo.com has created to compare global cities based
on relative levels of crime, safety, law, and order, we have ranked some
of the most dangerous cities in Africa. Numbeo's
multi-factorial analyses take into account such considerations as
people feelings on the level of crime therein, recent changes in crime
levels, safety walking alone, fears of muggings or robberies, vehicular
security, perceived threat of assault and/or battery, being annoyed,
harassed, insulted, or solicited by locals, racial, ethnic, and
religious intolerance, and the threat of property theft. In many cases,
these cities' relatively high danger levels are validated by their
listing by the US Overseas Security Advisory Council
(OSAC) as "critical" in terms of crime. Using those Numbeo composite
crime indices, here are some of the most dangerous cities to live in,
visit, and conduct business in Africa today.
9. Luanda, Angola
Luanda, Angola’s capital city, has a high crime rate, and one which
the OSAC reports as being "critical". Out of a possible crime score of
100, Numbeo rates it at 76.39 as of February 2016. According to the UK
Government service Gov.UK, common crimes in the city are inclusive of
carjackings, assaults, homicides, muggings for valuables such as mobile
phones, armed robberies at either night or day (especially in areas
popular with foreigners), and rape incidences both in nightlife areas
and even private homes. Lone night travel or walks within the city are
not recommended, as crimes mostly happen at night in Luanda, according
to the OSAC. There also are crime hot-spots in Luanda that the OSAC
particularly warns against venturing into, like the Rua Nehru, the Rua
Houari Boumedienne, and the traffic circle in the last part of Rua Gamal
Abdel Nasser. Thefts from stationary or slow-moving vehicles stuck in
traffic also happen. It’s thereby wise to close the windows when stuck
in such traffic situations there. Furthermore, visitors are also advised
to avoid changing or withdrawing money in public places, or handling
money in very crowded places.
8. Port Elizabeth, South Africa
Port Elizabeth is a coastal city in Eastern Cape Province, South
Africa. Tourists are drawn to this vibrant port city, which is dubbed
the "Windy City" for its windy coastal clime. Port Elizabeth has a rich
cultural heritage, and is among the cities early explorers like Vasco Da
Gama passed through. However, crime is very high there, and Numbeo, as
of February 2016, rates the crime levels there at 80.56 out of a
possible crime score of 100. Muggings and street crimes are common in
Port Elizabeth much like in the rest of South Africa. Xenophobic attacks
against foreigners also tend flare up in Port Elizabeth when there is
unrest in South Africa. In 2014, Port Elizabeth was ranked number 35 by
the Mexican Citizens' Council for Public Security and Criminal Justice
among the world’s 50 most dangerous cities, and, in 2013, it was number
41. Murders per 100,000 people in 2014 were 34.8, slightly down from 36
in 2013.
7. Cape Town, South Africa
Crime levels in Cape Town, a port city in South Africa and the
capital of Western Cape Province, are very high, even though it’s the
country’s legislative capital. In recent years, it has consistently been
ranked among the most violent cities in the world. Numbeo gives the
city a crime rating of 82.45 out of a possible crime score of 10 as of
March 2016, which is an increase from the previous 3 years. From April
2011 to March 2012, Cape Town recorded more murders than both
Johannesburg and Pretoria combined, according to Africa Check. Criminal
activities like drug dealing, mugging, vandalism, theft, assault, armed
robbery, and bribery are especially common there, according to Numbeo.
Taking nighttime walks is also risky in and of itself. Much of the
violence in Cape Town is fueled by drug-related gang activity and the
economic inequality still prevalent in non-white territories. According
to a 2014 report by the Institute for Security Studies, annual income in
a white household was just over six times more than a black household
in Cape Town.
6. Lagos, Nigeria
With an estimated population of 21 million, Lagos is Nigeria’s
largest city and one of the largest cities in the world. Crime levels
are also very high, with Numbeo giving the city a rating of 80.88 out of
a possible crime score of 100. The OSAC gives Lagos a crime rating of
"critical". Locals and expatriates alike living in Lagos are prone to
muggings, armed robberies, home or business burglaries, carjackings,
assaults, rapes, kidnappings, and extortion. Armed robbers in the city
are known to even climb up perimeter fences and subdue guards, and
others have invaded waterfront compounds by way of boats. Criminals also
target vehicle occupants in traffic, and break into stationary cars.
Some of Lagos' crime hot-spots are airport roads in the days or
evenings, as well as banks and grocery stores. Street gangs dubbed "area
boys" cause terror in the mainland of the city when they clash. Lagos
is also an e-mail scam hotbed, from where dubious cyber criminal prey on
people under the pretension that they can receive huge compensation in
return some time later after parting with some money by way of
electronic transactions.
5. Durban, South Africa
Durban is the largest city in Kwa-Zulu-Natal Province in South
Africa. It’s a coastal city that is popular with local and international
tourists who annually number within the hundreds of thousands.
Economically, the city hosts the biggest container and commodity port in
Sub-Saharan Africa, according to the OSAC. But crime and
criminal-related deaths have been on the rise. According to a 2014
report by the Mexican Citizens' Council for Public Security and Criminal
Justice, Durban City was 38th among the 50 most violent cities in the
world. Homicides per 100,000 people stood at 34.5 in 2014, up from in
2013 when they were at 32 per 100,000. As of March 2016, Numbeo rated
the crime in Durban at 87.89 out of a possible crime score of 100,
indicating it as being very high. Beyond Durban's city limits,
Kwa-Zulu-Natal province in 2015 was reported as the most dangerous
province in South Africa. Taking personal precautions, like avoiding
nighttime travel or walking alone, is recommended to avoid falling
victim.
4. Johannesburg, South Africa
Johannesburg is South Africa’s largest city, with an estimated
population of over 4 million people, and it’s also the capital of
Gauteng province. In recent years it has achieved notoriety for the high
numbers of crime and rape cases seen there as well. Numbeo ranks crime
levels in Johannesburg as being very high, achieving a 91.61 out of a
possible crime score of 100 as of March 2016. Due to the many incidences
of rape reported there, it has also been dubbed as the "World’s Rape
Capital". Recently, Johannesburg has had xenophobic attacks springing up
in the low income townships with frequency. In 2014-2015, according to
Africa Check, the murder rate in Johannesburg per 100,000 was 28.2
people. Yet, according to a report by the United Nations Office on Drugs
and Crime, the average global homicide rate per 100,000 people was 6.2,
less than a fourth of that seen in Johannesburg.
3. Benghazi, Libya
Since Muammar Gaddafi’s oust from power as the leader of Libya
in 2011, the whole country, including the second largest city of
Benghazi, has been engulfed in a civil war. The city is ever at risk of
radical Islamic terrorist attacks. In September of 2012, the US Embassy
in Libya was attacked by violent extremists, and 4 US government
employees, the US Ambassador to Libya included, died in the chaos.
According to the OSAC, crime levels across the whole country are still
rising. Incidences of carjackings, robberies, burglaries, and gun
attacks are now more prevalent, largely due to the looting of government
artillery that ensued in a mad scramble for economic and military gains
after Gaddafi’s removal. Sexual harassment of women is also rising, as
well as petty and hardcore street crimes alike. Even stricter laws on
people's dress make expatriate women who don’t dress conservatively
susceptible to attacks from Islamic extremist militias.
2. Pietermaritzburg, South Africa
Pietermaritzburg is both the province's second largest city (after
Durban) and the capital of Kwa-Zulu-Natal Province in the nation of
South Africa. It has very high crime levels, with a crime rating of 87.5
out of a possible crime score of 100, according to Numbeo as of January
2016. Armed robbery, sexual assault, arson, drug dealing, house
break-ins, carjackings, and car theft are some crimes that are rife in
Pietermaritzburg. In the 3 years leading up to 2015, crimes levels in
the city rose significantly. According to Crime Statistics South Africa,
in 2015 there were 15,720 criminal incidences in the city. This was an
increase on the previous years, as in 2014 there were 14,794 reported
incidents of criminal activities, and in 2013 there were 13,596. When
xenophobic attacks flare up elsewhere in South Africa, they also tend to
quickly spread to Pietermaritzburg as well.
1. Rustenburg, South Africa
Rustenburg City is in the North West Province of South Africa. It has
very high crime levels, and is rated at 85.71 out of a possible crime
score of 100, according to a 2015 Numbeo report. Of all of the cities in
the North West Province in 2015, Rustenburg had the highest total cases
of criminal activities with 11,117 cases in 2015, according to Crime
Statistics South Africa. Household burglary, kidnapping, hijacking, and
political violence are but some of the crimes that frequently occur in
this city. According to South Africa Dialogue, street crimes and
muggings are also high in Rustenburg, and caution is necessary each and
everyday. At night, car break-ins are common, and it’s not advisable to
leave one's valuables inside a vehicle. When driving on the freeways at
night, stops in undesignated areas make one an easy target for robbers,
and hence it’s wise to avoid making them.
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