WATCH: South Africa Grapples with Escalating Cellphone Snatching Crisis

South Africa is facing a surge in cellphone snatching, with the South African Police Service (SAPS) reporting an average of 189 cellphones stolen daily. Between April 2017 and March 2023, 412,998 mobile phones were reported stolen, with only 29% blacklisted by service providers. Gauteng accounts for 29% of incidents, followed by Western Cape (26%), KwaZulu-Natal (20%), and Eastern Cape (7%).

Criminals target distracted individuals, often snatching phones from hands, homes, offices, bags, or tables, sometimes during violent crimes like armed robberies or muggings. Stolen phones are frequently wiped and sold on the illicit market, with criminals exploiting unlocked devices to access banking apps, personal data, and SIM cards. The South African Banking Risk Information Centre (SABRIC) noted a significant increase in banking app fraud linked to phone snatching in 2020.

Watch: Thief snatches cellphone from unsuspecting victim

Statistics South Africa’s 2022/23 Victims of Crime Survey indicates a 52% rise in personal property theft incidents, from 1 million in 2018/19 to 1.52 million in 2022/23, with victim numbers increasing by 21%. Only 33.5% of victims reported all thefts to police, and 7.8% reported some, while nearly 60% did not report at all.