The development of smart cities in South Africa has the potential to enrich quality of life, encourage economic growth and reduce the human ecological footprint. It can advance and elevate service delivery in urban areas by applying various information and communication technologies. However, despite the countless benefits available, smart cities are at risk for major cybersecurity breaches that can produce devastating consequences. Criminological theories provide a foundation for understanding and explaining the criminal activity. Advancements in computer technologies and increased use of electronic devices and the Internet have resulted in crimes committed in cyberspace. As such, criminology scholars have been forced to think differently about how crimes are committed in cyberspace and how theoretical perspectives can be advanced to explain these non-traditional crimes. This article contends that criminological theories can inform cybersecurity risks in smart cities. This paper is based on theoretical findings through a qualitative inquiry, and the data were analysed thematically. The authors illustrate the value of social learning theory, neutralization theory, code of the street theory, space transition theory, actor-network theory and integrated model theory in explaining cybersecurity risks in smart cities.