Is KaMaqhekeza safe?
South Africa · Africa · data updated 2026-09-04
KaMaqhekeza is a city in South Africa, home to about 101k people, and one of 6,168 cities worldwide ranked on this site from published safety data. It currently ranks 6,037 of 6,168, with a safety score of 29.8 out of 100, placing it clearly below the global midpoint.
Emergency All emergencies from mobiles 112 · Ambulance and fire 10177 · Police 10111 · National Sea and Rescue Institute 112 or +27 87 094 9774 · Wilderness Search and Rescue +27 21 937 0300
- Very high homicide rate39.72 homicides per 100,000 per year (national rate), about 15× the global city median.
- High income inequalityGini 54.1 puts South Africa in the most unequal quarter of countries - the strongest structural predictor of city violence in this dataset (street crime and robbery tend to track it).
Deadliest recorded locations nearby
- Maputo7 deaths · 3 events
UCDP-recorded organized-violence deaths within 100 km of KaMaqhekeza, 2022-2024, at the locations the source itself names. Conflict deaths, not street crime.
How safe is KaMaqhekeza really?
No published homicide figure exists for KaMaqhekeza itself, so the national rate stands in: South Africa recorded 40 homicides per 100,000 people in 2024 - roughly 15 times the global city median. The city itself may be safer or more dangerous than its country's average. That matters because income inequality is the strongest structural predictor of city violence in this dataset, and South Africa's Gini of 54.1 puts it in the most unequal quarter of countries - conditions under which street crime and robbery tend to be a real concern.
KaMaqhekeza also carries some conflict exposure: UCDP recorded 69 deaths from organized violence within 100 km across 34 events in 2022-2024 - a factor crime statistics alone would miss. The deadliest recorded locations in that radius were Maputo (7 deaths).
What the travel advisories say
The US State Department currently rates South Africa at level 2 of 4 - "Exercise increased caution" (updated 2025-05-26). The UK Foreign Office publishes travel advice for South Africa without any avoid-travel warning in force. Both advisories are country-level: no official source publishes verified neighborhood-level crime guidance for individual cities, which is why this page reports named areas only where an official source names them.
What to watch out for in South Africa
Terrorism in South Africa · Israel and Palestine conflict · Political situation · Crime locations · Protecting yourself and your belongings · Airport crime · Cape Town airport road attacks · Vehicle crime · Criminal kidnap · Solo and women travellers · Fraud and scams · Nightlife and dating · ATMs and money exchanges · Table Mountain National Park attacks · +21 more
Topic headings from the official UK FCDO travel advice for South Africa — country-level, not specific to KaMaqhekeza. Read what each one says →
The numbers
- Homicide rate
- 40 /100knational rate, 2024 · ~15× the global city median
- Conflict deaths
- 69within 100 km, 2022-2024 (UCDP)
- Income inequality
- Gini 54.1country, 2022
- Human development
- HDI 0.741country, 2023
- Income
- $15,600/yrGNI per capita PPP · context only, not scored
- Population
- 101kurban centre · 2,742/km²
Country context for travelers
- Road deaths
- 22.2 /100kWHO, 2019 · often the biggest real travel risk
- Political stability
- 55/100World Bank WGI, 2024 · higher = more stable
- Rule of law
- 57/100World Bank WGI, 2024 · police and courts reliability
- Corruption perceptions
- 41/100Transparency International, 2025 · higher = cleaner
- Natural-hazard risk
- 5.2/10EU INFORM, 2026 · higher = riskier
- Women, Peace & Security
- 0.65Georgetown WPS Index, 2025 · 0-1, higher = better
- Air quality
- 27.7 µg/m³PM2.5 annual mean, 2023 · WHO guideline is 5
- Safely managed drinking water
- 68%of the population, 2024 · WHO/UNICEF JMP
- Healthcare capacity
- 0.8 doctors /1k2.3 hospital beds per 1,000
- Malaria
- 0 /1k at riskWHO, 2024 · listed for endemic countries only
Natural hazards in South Africa
- Drought
- 8.6/10EU INFORM, 2026 · higher = riskier
- Flood
- 3.2/10EU INFORM, 2026 · higher = riskier
- Earthquake
- 1.5/10EU INFORM, 2026 · higher = riskier
- Cyclone
- 1.3/10EU INFORM, 2026 · higher = riskier
- Tsunami
- 1.1/10EU INFORM, 2026 · higher = riskier
Hazard types scoring under 1 out of 10 are not listed. These describe South Africa as a whole, not KaMaqhekeza specifically.
Same-sex sexual activity is legal in South Africa (as of 2025).
All country-level figures shared by every city in South Africa; none of them affect the safety score.
How the score works
One fixed, calibrated mix for every city: 40% homicide · 25% peace · 25% equality · 10% HDI. Homicide and conflict deaths are measured outcomes; income inequality carries the structural share because it predicts real city violence far better than national income (which is shown above but scored at zero). Each factor maps to 0-100 against fixed anchors, missing data drops out and is never estimated, and cities with data behind less than half the weighting get “no data” instead of a score. For KaMaqhekeza that gives 29.8/100. Full methodology, anchors and sources →
KaMaqhekeza compared with Maputo
| Measure | KaMaqhekeza | Maputo | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Safety score | 29.8 | 46.8 | −17.0 — better for Maputo |
| Homicide ratecity-measured where published, otherwise the national rate | 40 /100k | 3.6 /100k | +36 /100k — better for Maputo |
| Conflict deaths within 100 km | 69 | 67 | +2 — better for Maputo |
| Income inequality (Gini) | 54.1 | 49.6 | +4.5 — better for Maputo |
| Human development (HDI) | 0.741 | 0.493 | +0.248 — better for KaMaqhekeza |
| Road deaths | 22.2 /100k | 30.0 /100k | −7.8 /100k — better for KaMaqhekeza |
| Rule of law | 57/100 | 36/100 | +21/100 — better for KaMaqhekeza |
| Corruption perceptions | 41/100 | 21/100 | +20/100 — better for KaMaqhekeza |
| Air quality (PM2.5) | 27.7 µg/m³ | 13.7 µg/m³ | +14.0 µg/m³ — better for Maputo |
| Natural-hazard risk | 5.2/10 | 7.0/10 | −1.8/10 — better for KaMaqhekeza |
Differences are plain arithmetic between the two stored figures — nothing is modelled. Country-level rows describe the two countries, not the cities themselves. Full report for Maputo →
Nearby cities
- Kanyamazane 35.4
- Maputo, Mozambique 46.8
- Xai-Xai, Mozambique 58.2
- Middelburg 39.5
- eMalahleni 39.5
- Vosman 39.5
- Madadeni 39.5
- eMbalenhle 39.5
See KaMaqhekeza on the interactive map → · Safest cities in Africa → · Full travel briefings →