serious crime on the up in South Africa

More than 20 000 robberies of businesses, and probably about the same number of murders. Divide these numbers by 365 days and work out what that means is happening everyday.

Women and children are particularly vulnerable.

Police are increasingly ineffective in bringing the perpetrators to book (justice). Employment has a low standard of criteria to select the new police. Racism is still evident in the police forces; Black cops prejudiced against the White public and White cops prejudiced against the Black public. Skills to apprehend criminals is virtually non- existent. Personally I have been robbed at my home more than ten times through the years and not once, I repeat, NEVER, has a single criminal ever been apprehended. I am white and I have insurance to protect my belongings from theft, so the loss has not been as devastating for our family, as it must be for a poor black family who cannot afford such insurance.

The same old story about desperate poverty is raised, almost as if it is the right of the poor to commit crime. Even if they do have a point, why the high numbers of murders? If a person is hungry and they steal to feed themselves (as is claimed), then why are the public so often brutalised and murdered?

I must stress that despite the politically publicised release of crime statistics by the police, crime is not only committed by the poor. Crime ranges through all economic sectors, the rich as well as the poor commit crime. In the recent past, the police have suppressed the release of statistics of crime by the news media. I believe these statistics are seriously manipulated by the police to serve their political masters.

Crime DOES pay in this country.

When the previously elected leader of the country, President Jacob Zuma, sets up the personal enrichment of himself and his cronies to the tune of BILLIONS of Rand, then is it any wonder why our country is where it is? It is the same old story, year after year, different President, same self justification.

In the old Apartheid days, justice wasn't ever too carefully applied. Many suspects were not proven guilty but just hanged or thrown out of multi-story buildings. Political crimes were more important than actual crimes of passion and theft. Thus there is a great abhorrence by the ruling party to ever consider the Death Penalty as an option. The Constitution is where life is to be protected at all costs.

The opponents of the Death Penalty always quote the misapplication of Justice and the risk of hanging the wrong person. There is no denying that there is risk, but the current RAPID downward spiral of general honesty and social justice is inescapably evident.

However no-one can dispute the descent of the country into lawlessness. Vigilantism becomes more common as frustrated residents attempt to deal with rampant crime in their neighbourhoods.

My concluding thoughts are quite simple.

More is done to protect the life of a killer than an innocent unborn baby. Our society will rather kill a child and carry a murderer in state institutions at great expense to the taxpayer. The black, often poorer, communities suffer most to the depredations of the criminal.

(the life of a murderer is of more value than a helpless infant to South African Society)

When the lives of the law abiding citizens matter more than the lives of criminals and murderers, then we may see change for the better.