South Africans are concerned about the surging crime rate and level of brutality when thugs rob them of their hard-earned possessions.
About 57 people are killed each day in South Africa, and with the rate of recent heinous crimes reported, that number could increase.
Police Minister Bheki Cele this week revealed that more than 100 people were killed in just one week in the Western Cape. This comes on the back of two recent mass shootings in Gugulethu township by criminals.
Warrant Officer Lindela Mraqisa, a VIP protector to Deputy Police Minister Cassel Mathale, was one of the five people killed in a mass shooting over the weekend in Gugulethu.
Cele said criminals have unleashed a reign of terror on communities in the Western Cape, and the situation has reached a critical point.
“It is clear there is a new crop of criminals who want to claim their space and believe in using brazen violence to do so. They must be stopped at all costs … and they must be stopped now. It is on this scope we are reinforcing policing. As a preventive measure, a decision has been made to saturate the area with different discipline SAPS combat units operating within the Gugulethu area and beyond,” said Cele.
A report released by the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organised Crime ranked South Africa 7th out of 193 United Nations member states in organised crime.
According to the report, South Africa has moved 12 spots higher – from number 19 in 2021 to 7th place in 2023 – based on the criminal index. The report further shows that South Africa ranks third highest on the continent’s crime levels.
The report seems to suggest that this significant increase can be attributed to the various forms of crime facing South Africa, including human trafficking, sex trafficking, child labour, domestic violence, organ smuggling, child abuse and labour exploitation.
South African socialist, anti-apartheid activist and author, Dr Trevor Ngwane, in an interview with a broadcaster said the level of brutality used by criminals suggests that there are some underlying structural causes which have to be explored.
“But certainly there seems to be a breakdown of the social fabric insofar as the crime rate is concerned, and especially the murder rate, which is increasing. More than just police action must be taken. I think certain social policies must change to address the underlying causes,” said Ngwane.
Legal analyst Dr Llewellyn Curlewis agreed with Ngwane on the point that there is a breakdown in the social structure. He said South Africa is one of the top five most dangerous countries in the world.
“If we look at this type of statistic that we’ve seen recently, I would not be surprised if we are actually in the top three of the most dangerous countries in the world, and that is what we should consider about what the underlying reasons for such brutality are. It could be one of a number of things, maybe the fact that our justice system is not functioning at optimal levels.
“Another explanation could be the fact that we have a serious shortage of jobs in this country and people resort to all kinds of other behaviour to compensate for loss of income. Obviously, the fact that we have social breakdown in our households, all these things accumulate in setting the perfect storm,” said Curlewis.