SA, a Crime capital

Crime in South Africa has reached frightening proportions; rise in murders, rapes and robberies

SA, a Crime capital

Crime in South Africa has reached frightening proportions; rise in murders, rapes and robberies

Even as all US government offices in South Africa remained closed for a second day yesterday because of a suspected terrorist threat, official SA figures released show that crime in the country has reached frightening proportions.

Reasons for the closure of the US offices were not disclosed, but embassy spokeswoman Sharon Hudson-Dean only said the decision was "based on information recently received by the regional security office."

Meanwhile crime statistics for the period April 2008 to March 2009 released on Tuesday show that violent house robberies have increased alarmingly.

Gauteng province, in which the country's capital Pretoria and Johannesburg are located, showed disturbing increases in the number of murders, house robberies, hijackings, sexual crimes (including rape), burglaries and business robberies.

Experts have termed the crime stats "shocking", saying a long run of overall decreases in violent crime has ended.

The situation is similar nation-wide, causing observers to say that whatever the police are doing they are not doing them effectively or they are doing the wrong things or both.

Opposition parties have accused the government of falsifying the figures, especially those pertaining to a drop in the murder rate, but showing a rise in the number of business and house robberies, sexual offences, vehicle hijacking and stock theft.

Criminologist Dr Rudolph Zinn said increases in crimes like shoplifting and attacks on small businesses indicated that the global economic meltdown had played a role.

"People are increasingly suffering economically, and this could contribute to the increases."

It is generally believed among people KHALIDOSCOPE spoke to in Sandton, where the Champions Trophy teams and officials are staying, that illegal immigrants from other African countries are largely to blame for the high crime rate, in many cases because of joblessness.

An Opposition party spokesman said: "Until we deal convincingly with the massive inequalities and the crisis within the social fabric of our society, crime will remain a huge problem."

According to a police spokesperson: "In South Africa, murder is still nearly eight times higher than the world average."

Following release of the government's figures, daily newspaper The Star editorialised: "A glance at most of the country's newspapers on any given day gives a grim insight into the siege that criminals are imposing on ordinary people."

Players' safety

The Champions Trophy fraternity is cloistered in hotels in Sandton, a 1990s sanitised development outside crime-infested Johannesburg.
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Their movements are confined strictly to eateries, cinemas and shopping malls around the upmarket Nelson Mandela square and their excursions restricted to taking the team bus, under cover of tight security, to the cricket stadiums and back to their hotel.

Sunil Gavaskar informs me that he has heard of criminals snatch chains, necklaces and sunglasses, at traffic signals in Johannesburg.

Expressing concern at the country's "very serious crime problem", the World Economic Forum last week ranked South Africa worst among 134 countries for the impact of violence and crime on the cost of doing business.