Wednesday 9 July 2008

White South Africans : Bullshit peddlars of the highest order.


In the last five years South Africa has been ranked by travel experts as one of the top tourist destinations in the world. Every year more and more people are choosing South Africa as a place to spend their vacations. In 2006 over 8 million tourists arrived in South Africa and that figure is projected to double by 2010. Despite these incredible numbers, there is one factor that continues to hamper the tourism industry in South Africa. That factor is crime.

Let’s start with the worst, most publicized fact about South Africa’s crime issue: South Africa has roughly 50 murders per day. Though this is certainly a terrible fact, it is highly misleading. Why is that? Murder rates are traditionally measured using the number of murders per 100,000 people. Using that measurement, South Africa had 40.4 murders per 100,000 people during 2006/2007.(1) That is, of course, still a very high statistic. But, it is important that you put this statistic into perspective before you make any judgments. In 2006 Washington, D.C. had 29.7 murders per 100,000 people.(2) In 2005 that number was 35.4.(3) Three years before this in 2003 it had 44.7 murders per 100,000 people.(4) Have you or your family ever had the least concern about visiting Washington, D.C.? In 2006 Birmingham, Alabama had 44.5 murders per 100,000 people and St. Louis, Missouri had 37.2 murders per 100,000.(5)(6)(7)

Most contact crimes (defined by the police as murder, attempted murder, rape, assault with intent to do serious bodily harm, common assault, indecent assault, aggravated robbery, street muggings, car hijackings, house break-ins, bank robberies, and common robbery) in South Africa take place between people who knew each other according to the South African Police Services' (SAPS) recent Annual Report. In 2006/2007, it reported that this was the case in 81.5% of murders, 75.9% of rapes, 89% of assaults with intent to do grievous bodily harm, and 89.3% of common assault. In 61.9% of murders, the victims and perpetrators were related to each other.(8)

SAPS reports that most contact crimes took place in impoverished township areas, not in popular tourist spots, hotels, etc.
According to this same report there was a decrease in contact crimes of 3.4% during 2006/2007, which continues the five-year trend of steadily decreasing crime rates in South Africa.
According to the 2006 State of Cape Town report, the high crime rates are predominantly concentrated in certain township areas where there has been a rise in drug-related crime and where the onset of crime bosses and gangs have taken over in the absence of adequate law enforcement. These areas, according to the report, are key contributors to the crime rate in the country. This is true for all cities across South Africa.(9)

Crime statistics among tourists to South Africa is very low. Most crimes by tourists are petty thefts. Based on available statistics, the chance of a tourist experiencing a violent crime (physical assault, mugging, gang attack, rape, or hijacking) is less than 0.67 %. If you take into account that most crimes happen in non-tourist areas, that percentage drops even further.(10)
In non-violent crimes such as house burglaries South Africa is safer than countries such as Australia, Denmark, Finland, New Zealand, United Kingdom, and Canada.(11)
For every 10 tourists that visit South Africa one job is created. Tourism is the third largest contributor to South Africa's GDP. World Cup is being hosted by South Africa in 2010. All this to say, the South African government and its people are acutely aware of the importance of tourism and all efforts are being made to curtail crime.(12)

South Africa is increasing its police force from the current 164,000 officers to 192,000 officers by 2010. It is also restructuring its police force for quicker deployment time and better administrative ability.(13)

People leaving South Africa after vacation rate their experience very highly. 99% of people say they would love to visit South Africa again and would recommend it to a friend. To put this in context, only 94% of tourists leaving Australia responded similarly.(14)

While we could continue to provide you with statistics and facts, the point that there are many millions of people that visit South Africa every year and how have fun-filled and exciting vacations. When asked, almost all of them would love to return to South Africa for another vacation. Is crime a problem in South Africa? Yes, but much of it takes place in dangerous, often impoverished areas between individuals who know each other. Are there any incidents of crime involving tourists? Yes there are, but most of them are petty crimes. In case you are still worried you can further decrease your chances of being the victim of a crime in South Africa by doing two things. First, be smart in how your travel and take some precautions. We offer some suggestions on how to do so in our article Safety and Precautions in Southern Africa.

9 comments:

Anonymous said...

Did you even read the content before you posted ? Crime levels are the same as 1994 and decreasing every year. How many murders are related to hijackings , robberies and house breaking every year ? Only 500. All this is very much in your mind.

Anonymous said...

In the last 14 years (since 1994), within my own family (brothers, sisters, nieces and nephews), we have experienced the following:

3 X Hijackings
1 X Attempted Hijacking
2 X House Invasions (both with aggravated assault, and one with a rape)
1 X Attempted House Invasion (we got wind of them staking out our house thank God)
1 X Car Theft
1 X Major Burglary
1 X Assault and theft from a vehicle
1 X Getting caught in a gunfight
10+ X Robberies ( I have actually lost track of the exact number)

By the grace of God, no-one has been murdered yet, but I fear it's just a matter of time.

None of us live in impoverished areas.
None of us knew the perpetrators.

We are just ONE white middle class family.

Virtually every other South African I know has a similar story. You cannot seriously think we are unique. I certainly don't!

The stats are rubbish, mate! If you believe them, you are either wilfully ignorant, or just bloody stupid!

But then, you're a zot, so you're probably both! And before you call me a white racist, I studied with black guys, served in the army with them, worked with them, and even had one as a manager, and they were capital blokes! Not all blacks are zots - it's a mindset, and you have it. I no longer live in SA, PRECISELY because of people like you. And I use every opportunity to inform people in my adopted country that SA, and Africa, are not worthy of their time, effort or attention.

Piss off!

Anonymous said...

Oh save me the nonsense ...All my white friends have a totally different experience to you. I'm symathetic to the few of those you reported which are actually true (if any) but please don't try and make out as if it represents the norm. Where do you live ? Soweto ?

Anonymous said...

"All my white friends" do your self-hating white liberal black nobgobblers read your blog, k4?

Caucasiannation said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Anonymous said...

Caucasianasia. It sounds like you really excelled in Social identity theory. You sure have a totally sophisticated understanding of socio economic issues. An atom is smaller than an elephant.

Only one of the above three statements is true. But which one ?

Anonymous said...

Bizzare blog mate. Thank God I have left Arsezania. May 5 of your kind take over my position and provide employment for your brothers as I did for over 10 years.Good luck and fuck you.

Now-Sydney-Resident

ZeroTolerance said...

Based on original source documents, government archives, the Central Statistics Service, Interpol, the South African Medical Research Council statistics, and many other sources. The Report casts serious doubt on the South African government’s claim that the murder rate has been decreasing.
Victims’ surveys have consistently uncovered between 60% and 70% more crime than reported by official sources. Upwards of 50% of crime in many serious categories goes unreported.

Statistical Discrepancies
While police crime statistics show that there were 21 683 murders in the year 2000, the Medical Research Council puts the figure at 32 482. The MRC’s estimate is close to the figure from the Department of Home Affairs, which is 30 068. This is a third more murders than reported by the SAPS, a discrepancy of more than 10 000 murders.

The Medical Research Council’s statistics reveal that 89 murders are committed, on average, every day in South Africa.

Interpol claims even higher numbers of murders in South Africa. While the SAPS claims that there were 26 883 murders in 1995, Interpol claims that there were 54 298 “murders known to the police” in 1995/96. Interpol’s figures are approximately double the numbers of “recorded murders” in South Africa.

According to Interpol, South Africa has the highest recorded per capita murder rate of the countries covered in their report for 1998, second only to Columbia. In that year, Interpol recorded the per capita murder rate in the USA as 6 per 100 000, while in South Africa it was 59 per 100 000.

The Most Murderous Societies On Earth
The Nedcore Project has concluded that: “South Africa and Southern Africa are probably the most murderous societies on earth, even with the probable under-reporting.” The Nedcore Project claims the results of their surveys “underscore the fact that crime has become South Africa’s pre-eminent sociological problem. It now eclipses even unemployment in concerns of all South Africans.”

The bizarre behaviour of the ANC government in, at one stage, imposing a moratorium on crime statistics is also questioned. The report shows that in the first seven years of ANC rule, violence and crime in South Africa increased by 33%, officially.

Worse Than War
The UCA Report on Murder in South Africa reveals that according to the official statistics, in the 44 years from 1950 to 1993, there was an average of 7036 murders per year. This covered the turbulent strife of the apartheid years of warfare, conflict, terrorism, riots and repression.

However, in the first eight years (of peace) of the new democratic dispensation, under the ANC, an average of 24 206 murders were committed each year. However, if the Interpol statistics are accepted, then the murder rate in South Africa during the ANC years has averaged 47 882 per year.

Official Cover Up
Sharp discrepancies between official statistics and those of Interpol and the Medical Research Council are considered. One observer is quoted as saying that the “easiest way for the police to reduce the crime rate is simply to do nothing but record only those crimes where a case number is absolutely mandatory …” Numerous experts are quoted as suspecting “serious under reporting”; “ figures are concealed for political reasons’; “the reason for this under reporting could be the desire to change the ongoing reputation of South Africa as the crime capital of the world.”

ZeroTolerance said...

A breakdown in the crime statistics recorded between 1 April 2007 and 31 March 2008 as reported by the SA Police Service:

NOTE: They hide the actual murders by splitting them into two different categories - they show total murders, plus... way down the list they show the culpible homicides
When taken together, the official number is huge - more than 31,500 murders per annum.


The figures are arranged in the number of incidents per 100 000 people.

- Murder: 18 487 cases reported, 38,6 incidents.

- Attempted murder: 18 795 cases reported, 39,3 incidents.

- Assault GBH: 210 104 cases reported, 439,1 incidents.

- Common assault: 198 049 cases reported, 413,9 incidents.

- Common robbery 64 985 cases reported, 135,8 incidents.

- Arson: 7 396 cases reported, 15,5 incidents.

- Malicious damage to property: 136 968 cases reported, 286,2 incidents.

- Burglary at residential premises: 237 853 cases reported, 497,1 incidents.

- Burglary at non-residential premises: 62 995 cases reported, 131,7 incidents.

- Motor vehicle and motorcycle theft: 8 8226 cases reported, 167,7 incidents.

- Theft out of motor vehicles: 111 661 cases reported, 233,4 incidents.

- Stock theft; 28 778 cases reported, 60,1 incidents.

- Illegal possession of firearms or ammunition: 13 476 cases reported, 28,2 incidents.

- Drug related crime: 109 134 cases reported, 228,1 incidents.

- Driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol: 48 405 cases reported, 101,2 incidents.

- Theft not mentioned elsewhere: 395 296 cases reported, 826,1 incidents.

- Commercial crime: 65 286 cases reported, 136,4 incidents.

- Shoplifting; 66 992 cases reported, 140 incidents.

- Culpable homicide: 13 184 cases reported, 27,6 incidents.

- Kidnapping: 2 323 cases reported, 4,9 incidents.

- Abduction: 2 728 cases reported, 5,7 incidents.

- Neglect or ill treatment of children: 4 106 cases reported, 8,6 incidents.

- Public Violence: 895 cases reported, 1,9 incidents.

- Crimen injuria: 33 064 cases reported or 69,1 incidents.

* The law regarding rape cases has changed to include male rape, and as such the crime statistics only reflect rape and indecent assault statistics between April and December 2007;

- Rape: 36 190 cases reported, 75,6 incidents.

- Indecent assault: 6 763 case reported, 14,1 incidents.

- Aggravated robbery: 118 312 cases reported, 247,3 incidents.

* This included 14, 201 carjacking incidents or 29,7 incidents and 1 245 truck hijacking incidents.

It also included 14 481 incidents of robbery at residential properties or 30,3 cases per 100 000 people, and 9 852 incidents of robbery at non-residential properties or 20,6 incidents per 100 000 people.

There were 395 cases of cash-in-transit robberies or 0,8 incidents per 100 000 people, and 144 bank robberies or 0,3 incidents per 100 000 people. - Sapa