The latest Governance, Public Safety and Justice Survey has revealed that despite slightly improved perceptions of safety within South African communities, housebreaking and burglaries remain a key concern.
In 2024/2025, an estimated 1,5-million incidents were recorded, representing 5,7% of households in the country.
“Housebreaking is topping the list of non-contact crimes, underscoring the need for both households and businesses to ensure adequate insurance coverage against property-related theft and losses,” says Ryno de Kock, head of Distribution at PSG Insure.
Expanding on this most recent report with YoY comparisons, Stats SA declared that the number of housebreaking incidents has decreased – albeit only slightly, from 2022/2023 when 1,56 million incidents took place.
Theft of personal property affected an estimated 1,2-million people (2,6% of those aged 16 and older), down from 1,3-million in 2023/24. While this is an improvement, many residents – particularly in metro areas – continue to face the risk of crime.
Another frequent type of property-related crime reported over a five-year period was the theft of motor vehicles.
According to the survey, the percentage of households impacted by this form of crime also decreased slightly from 1,2% to 1,1%. However, with 216 000 cases being recorded over the last year, motor vehicle crime remains a risk.
Insurance checkpoints
“The slight downward trend in non-contact crimes should not lead to complacency,” says De Kock.
Incidents of housebreakings, theft of personal property, and motor vehicles remain significant risks that require constant vigilance and preventive measures. Not only is this necessary from a personal and property safety point of view, it’s also important in terms of their implications for insurance and ongoing cover.
“The first way clients can protect their property and belongings is by making it (at minimum) an annual activity to review insurance policies,” says De Kock. “It’s also important to know whether there are any limits on cover for events such as burglaries or theft, as well as any exclusions that may apply.”
It’s also important to ensure that high-value items such as personal electronics, jewellery, or artwork are correctly covered. These can either be included in the overall household goods sum insured, specified individually under the relevant section of the policy, or separate cover can be taken for expensive collections.
Reduce crime exposure
In addition to having – and maintaining – adequate insurance cover, it’s also key to be proactive when it comes to protecting your belongings.
“Besides installing the right kind of security systems, it’s useful for homeowners to engage with local neighbourhood watch programmes to either volunteer directly or to become an active participant in alert groups to foster a culture of vigilance among neighbours,” says De Kock.
He adds that for commercial property owners, security measures should be aligned to the value and type of stock being stored. Depending on the nature of the goods, requirements may range from linked alarm systems to 24-hour security guards.
“This is where the guidance of an insurance advisor is critical as they can help ensure that the level of protection in place matches the risk exposure,” says De Kock. “For businesses, theft cover is on a first-loss basis which requires determining an appropriate value in line with potential exposure. While systems and protocols are important, employees also need to be trained on security procedures and made aware of risks as human error often remains a significant vulnerability.”
In terms of the security of motor vehicles, this needs to align with insurers’ minimum recommendations, which may include installing tracking devices and using alarm systems. Other simple safety measures car owners can take include parking strategically, in well-lit, busy areas, and secure locations to reduce the likelihood of theft or vandalism.
“Likewise, to mitigate the risk of theft of personal belongings, it’s important to adopt a multi-layered approach that combines vigilance, organisation, and precautionary measures,” says De Kock. “For example, valuables should be kept out of plain sight – whether at home, in the office, or in a vehicle.
“By taking these proactive steps, individuals can significantly reduce the likelihood of significant losses should an incident occur,” De Kock says.