Crime has South Africa in a corner

With the release of the crime statistics, one has to ask: other than the greed, what are the contributing factors to the crippling effects of high crime in SA?

The truth is the state of our socioeconomic living is a major factor: the lack of resources, the lack of job opportunities and the ever-rising costs of living. These are the pull factors to a life of crime. Until we address the socioeconomic conditions we find ourselves in, the status quo will remain.

My sympathy should not be mistaken for tolerance of any wrongdoing. Kidnappers and murderers should face the full might of the law – not mob justice. It’s easy for a community to come out of the woodwork and confront criminals, but where was this choir while the same criminals were flourishing in their activities?

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The criminals are known in the community. We all know who they are and what they do. We all know who to go to when there has been a break-in at the local corner cafe, we know who might know who stole sis Betty’s car tyres last night while we were sleeping. Word on the street and the neighbourhood grapevine tell which street corner delinquent might be responsible.

But where was the “word on the street” when the BMW spinning interrupted the afternoon’s peace; when unauthorised gun salutes pierced through song at a local funeral? Where was the judge and jury of the community when the township air was drenched in the smell of an illegal substance that is not being used for medicinal purposes?

This word on the street seems to have been very inefficient when Stevovo was selling Gucci cologne for R100 – even though we can all clearly see the R799 Edgars price sticker still stuck on the product.

While there may be many reasons why the criminal element flourishes in communities, one of them is that we know the perpetrators. They are our friends. We know them on a first-name basis – but we say and do nothing. We jump up and down protesting that the police do nothing – but what are we doing as responsible and concerned citizens?

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We desperately need a social system that will meet these offenders on a humane level and deter them from future and repeat crimes.