While several police precincts across the Cape Winelands have recorded rising crime, the small village of McGregor near Robertson is moving in the opposite direction, reporting a significant decline in criminal activity alongside growing interest in its property market.
Located in the Riviersonderend mountains, about a two-hour drive from Cape Town, McGregor has recorded the lowest number of crimes among Cape Winelands police precincts, according to the reported South African Police Service (SAPS) statistics.
Crime fell by 15.5% during the first quarter under review, while the annual figures for the year ending March 2026 showed a 31% decline.
The improvement sets the village apart from much of the surrounding region, where crime remains a growing concern.
McGregor Reverses Years of Rising Crime
McGregor, which has a population of approximately 7,296 people, experienced a significant increase in crime between 2022 and 2024.
In 2022, its reported crime rate reached 6.27%. That figure has since declined to 4.27%, with further improvement potentially bringing it down to 3.89%, depending on subsequent statistics.
The village’s recovery became particularly noticeable in 2025, when crime fell by 31.8% compared with the previous year, reaching levels last recorded in 2017.
If the downward trend continues, McGregor could return to crime levels not seen in approximately a decade.
The latest improvement also makes the village one of the region’s notable exceptions at a time when many neighbouring communities are experiencing the opposite trend.
Rising Crime Elsewhere Highlights McGregor’s Progress
The broader crime picture across the Cape Winelands remains concerning. Of the 23 police precincts in the region, 16 recorded deteriorating crime figures in the latest data cited in the report.
Touws River experienced the steepest increase, with crime rising by 71.4% over three months. Franschhoek followed with a reported increase of 56.3%.
Against this backdrop, McGregor recorded the region’s most significant improvement for the three-month period ending June 2026.
The contrasting figures highlight the uneven nature of crime trends across the Cape Winelands, where some communities are seeing substantial increases while others are making progress.
Drug-Related Crime Remains a Major Concern
Despite the improvement, McGregor continues to face a serious challenge involving drug-related offences.
Nearly one-third of the crimes recorded during a three-month period were drug-related, raising questions about whether the village can sustain its progress without addressing the underlying problem.
Reported offences may also represent only part of the picture, as drug-related incidents can go unreported or remain undetected.
Drug markets can contribute to wider public-safety problems, including violence linked to dependency, distribution networks and competition over territory. Research discussed in the European Drug Report 2025 also examines the relationship between drug markets and violence.
For McGregor, reducing recorded crime may therefore be only one part of the challenge. Sustained progress will also depend on tackling the factors that contribute to criminal activity and encouraging residents to report offences.
Property Buyers Continue to Show Interest in McGregor
McGregor’s property market has remained active despite a decline in average sale prices since the beginning of the year.
Figures cited in the report show that the Western Cape Deeds Office recorded 50 property sales in the village so far in 2026, with an average transaction value of approximately R2 million.
That represents an increase in the number of sales compared with the 38 transactions recorded during the previous year, when the average sale price peaked at R2.7 million.
Although the average price has reportedly fallen by 25% since the start of 2026, the higher number of transactions suggests that buyers continue to show interest in the area.
The figures indicate that increased activity does not necessarily mean property prices are rising. Instead, more homes are changing hands even as the average recorded sale price declines.
Falling Property Listings Add Pressure to the Market
Another development is the reduction in the number of homes available for purchase.
According to the report, the number of properties listed for sale in McGregor is now approximately half what it was at the same time last year.
The combination of increased sales and fewer available listings suggests that the supply of homes has struggled to keep pace with buyer activity.
However, the figures alone do not establish that falling crime has directly caused the increase in property transactions. Prices and demand can also be influenced by affordability, the types of homes available and broader housing-market conditions.
Can McGregor Maintain Its Recovery?
McGregor’s declining crime figures offer a positive contrast to the wider Cape Winelands, while its property market continues to attract buyers despite lower average sale prices.
Nevertheless, the village still faces the challenge of drug-related offences, and its recent progress will need to be sustained over time before a lasting change can be established.
For now, McGregor stands out as a community where reported crime has fallen substantially while property transactions have increased. Whether these trends continue will depend on developments in public safety, the housing market and the community’s ability to address persistent sources of crime.
