Rainbow Tenement: Crime and Policing in Inner Johannesburg

This report by the Institute for Security Studies examines crime patterns and policing effectiveness in inner Johannesburg, specifically focusing on the Hillbrow area. It utilizes survey data from 1,100 residents to analyze the prevalence of robbery, assault, and drug use, while evaluating the impact of SAPS resource allocation and community perceptions of crime.

• The Hillbrow policing area experiences higher levels of recorded violent crime compared to Johannesburg Central, despite having fewer police officers.
• Robbery in inner Johannesburg is exceptionally violent and frequent, with 30% of survey respondents robbed in the last year. Approximately half of these robberies were committed on the street by groups of three or more, and 82% involved a gun or a knife. Reporting rates are the lowest in South Africa, with only 36% of victims reporting the crime to the police.
• Drug use and sale are open and prevalent in the area, particularly in residential hotels. Survey data shows 70% of respondents saw dagga smoked, 14% saw Mandrax smoked, and over 10% saw crack smoked. Over 80% of the community believes drugs contribute to local crime.
• The population of inner Johannesburg is characterized by high transience and overcrowding. 68% of the 1,100 people polled moved to their current household within the last five years, and nearly 25% of polled households had three or more people living in a single room.
• There is a significant discrepancy between public perception and the reality of crime victimization regarding foreign nationals. While 63% of respondents identified "foreigners" as the primary perpetrators of crime, foreign nationals were actually more likely to be victims of crime across every category surveyed.

APA

Leggett, T. (n.d.). Rainbow Tenement: Crime and Policing in Inner Johannesburg. Institute for Security Studies. https://issafrica.org/research/monographs/monograph-78-rainbow-tenement-crime-and-policing-in-inner-johannesburg-ted-leggett

Chicago

Leggett, Ted. Rainbow Tenement: Crime and Policing in Inner Johannesburg. Institute for Security Studies, n.d. https://issafrica.org/research/monographs/monograph-78-rainbow-tenement-crime-and-policing-in-inner-johannesburg-ted-leggett.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Leggett |first1=Ted |title=Rainbow Tenement: Crime and Policing in Inner Johannesburg |publisher=Institute for Security Studies |url=https://issafrica.org/research/monographs/monograph-78-rainbow-tenement-crime-and-policing-in-inner-johannesburg-ted-leggett |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{leggettndrainbow, author = {Leggett, Ted}, title = {{Rainbow Tenement: Crime and Policing in Inner Johannesburg}}, institution = {Institute for Security Studies}, url = {https://issafrica.org/research/monographs/monograph-78-rainbow-tenement-crime-and-policing-in-inner-johannesburg-ted-leggett}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }