Four cities in South Africa named as one of the most dangerous cities in the world

Some of the biggest cities in South Africa are ranked alongside warzones and failed states, in a list of the world’s most dangerous places.

According to a group of international security experts at Verisk Maplecroft, four cities in South Africa are now JOINT-FIRST in their Serious Crime Risk Index.



The Cities@Risk Security Index, which ranks 579 urban centres with a population over one million on their exposure to a range of threats, weighs up a number of factors, ranging from ‘terror prospects’ to ‘conflict intensity’.

So it’s perhaps all too gut-wrenchingly familiar that some of South Africa’s largest hubs feature amongst the criminal havens. Verisk Maplecroft have named Cape Town, Ekurhuleni, Johannesburg, and Pretoria at the top of the tree.

It’s particularly concerning for Gauteng, given that three of its metros are mentioned. However, all of these major municipalities are now considered as some of the most dangerous cities on the planet – contributing to Africa’s cohort of 33 ‘risky regions’.

“The most dangerous cities overall are distributed widely, with the top 100 including 33 cities from the Americas, 33 from Africa, 19 from Asia, 14 from the Middle East, and one from Europe.”

“Outside of the Americas, companies operating in South Africa also face the most serious crime risks, with Cape Town, Ekurhuleni, Johannesburg and Pretoria in the group of cities receiving the worst possible score and ranking joint first in the index.”