OPINION: South African soapies are creating our future criminals

The South African soap opera industry has been a staple of the country’s television landscape for decades. However, in recent years, concerns have been raised about the negative impact that these shows may be having on society.

There has even been an argument that soapies are contributing to South Africa’s high crime rate by promoting criminal behaviour.

Soapies fuel criminal behaviour

Many popular soap operas depict scenes of violence, which are often glamourised and portrayed as being exciting. This can lead viewers to believe that criminal activity is acceptable or even desirable. This, in turn, can contribute to the culture of violence and crime in our country.

The type of crimes being shown on our screens include heists, hijackings, rape, murder and human trafficking.

The question we need to ask ourselves is what viewers are learning from these story lines?

Are we learning how to commit murder, hijack cars and traffic people? If so, then the producers and writers of these shows are contributing to South Africa’s high crime rate.

What these producers and writers should be doing is using their shows to promote positive messages that can help reduce crime and give South Africans hope.

ALSO READ: School violence: Children see behavior in communities, transfer it to schools – experts

Crime stats

In February, Police Minister Bheki Cele announced the country’s third quarter crime stats.

These showed:

• 7 555 people were murdered between October and December 2022 and out of this number, 3 144 people were killed with a firearm, and 2 498 people were killed with other weapons such as knives, sharp and blunt instruments, bricks and in many cases bare hands.
• 52 711 people were arrested for various crimes including murder, sexual offences, assaults, hijackings and other serious crimes.

Just by looking at these stats, one can get an idea of what I am talking about. Crime is becoming a way of living in this country.

ALSO READ: Minister ‘deeply concerned’ about high levels of violence in schools

Production companies a disappointment

It is disappointing that South African production companies cannot come up with different content like comedy, romance, horror, thriller, and adventure. Instead, our soapies circulate the same content – violence.

If we had other genres in our soapies, I personally think the level of crime could decrease because we would be exposed to less and wouldn’t be taught how to get away with murder, how to do a heist, how to use jobs scams to traffic people, how to rape someone and get away with it by threatening to kill them, and how to own an illegal firearm.

Creating this list was effortless for me because these are the lessons I learnt from watching soapies on TV.

It is already traumatic enough that we experience this kind of violence and crime in our personal lives, but the fact that we have to relive these moments on our screens is agonising.

ALSO READ: Crime stats wrap: Women and children continue to be victims of violent crimes

No level of sensitivity

These soap operas lack sensitivity.

It’s important to acknowledge that there are individuals who have experienced trauma and are still coping with the aftermath. The violent content portrayed in soap operas can trigger memories of their traumatic experiences, causing them to relive their pain. We need to be mindful of the impact that this can have on vulnerable individuals.

ALSO READ:When violence is seen as the only outlet

Producers and writers must take responsibility

This is a serious issue that needs to be addressed by those within the soapie industry. It is time for producers and writers to take responsibility for the content they produce and ensure that it promotes positive values and messages.

We cannot afford to continue promoting a culture of violence and crime in our society, and it is up to us all to work towards creating a safer and more prosperous South Africa.

NOW READ: More efforts needed to fight gender-based violence