Five cities in South Africa have been listed in the top 20 crime ridden places in the world, according to the crime index by city 2024.
Earlier this year, Police Minister Bheki Cele released alarming crime statistics for the third quarter of the financial year 2023/24, showing that communities across South Africa are under siege from violent criminals in major cities.
Cele announced that there were 8000 murders in those three months alone.
Now the crime index by city 2024 has revealed that South Africa’s capital city, Pretoria, is the second most dangerous city in the world. Durban and Johannesburg follow at number three and four respectively.
Port Elizabeth is at number eight with Cape Town ranking at number 18, meaning South Africa has the highest number of most dangerous cities in the world’s top 20.
Speaking to The Star on Tuesday, criminologist, Professor Kholofelo Rakubu, said there was not not one single factor explaining the high levels of violence or violent crime in South Africa.
“Violent crime in South Africa is the product of a variety of factors. Firearm-related crimes have long been a feature of South African society.
“Easy availability of firearms nevertheless played a central role in the rapid growth of violent crime in the country,” Rakubu said.
South Africa had a culture of violence, she said, and that violence had become a normalised and accepted form of communication in South African society, being seen as a legitimate means to resolve disputes and highlight issues.
“Violence in South Africa is deeply embedded within the social fabric of the country. It has become normalised and widely accepted as a means of dealing with frustration and conflict.
“The link between socio-economic disadvantage and crime, including violent crime, in South Africa. Three socio-economic factors can initially be identified, as playing an important role in the understanding of the incidence of crime,” she said
Unemployment, income levels, and the prevalent level of income inequality were factors, she said.
“High levels of unemployment mean that the probability of gaining a legal income would be low, while high levels of illegal income simultaneously increases the payoff from criminal activity as well as increasing the opportunity cost of criminal activity.”
Rakubu did not rule out corruption as one of the factors of violent crime in the country.
“Corruption and increasingly sophisticated organised crime networks continue to aggravate South Africa’s efforts to combat illicit trade.
“The number of police is not enough or sufficient to respond to crime. Major cities in South Africa are overpopulated and congested hence the high crime levels in those cities.
She said the government was to blame for the high crime rate in the country’s major cities.
“Although there are policies in place to prevent crime, there are not enough resources in place to ensure efficient implementation of the policies.
“Crime is due to socio-economic conditions, however, the developed policies do not address socio-economic conditions, perpetuating levels of crime.
“We are anticipating the implementation of a whole of society and whole of government approach through the 2022 integrated crime and violence prevention strategy,” she said.
According to Rakubu, harsher punishment must be implemented while the punishment must fit the crime.
“Crime can be reduced through genuine partnerships; the private sector can play an important role in improving enforcement actions. Strengthen inter agency and interdepartmental co-operation at the national level,” Rakubu said.
She said the government needed to strengthen criminal penalties by raising standards for criminal penalties across the country and that should be a priority to deal with crime in the country.
The Star