‘Lawless SA’

Where are the cops, ask beleaguered citizens

‘MURDER, rape, kidnapping, hijacking, theft… when is something going to be done? Innocent lives are being lost. I’m so upset and heartbroken that nothing is being done to help us enjoy the freedom we’re supposed to have.”

This was the emotional plea by Durban woman Faheema Toffie, reacting on Facebook to a POST story of one of the latest shocking crimes to hit South Africa – the murder of a young man and the attack on his girlfriend as they were walking near the Umgeni River Bird Park on Friday evening.

They were assaulted and the man killed by a gang that emerged from a minibus taxi.

POST has been inundated with correspondence from readers who expressed frustration at the level of crime, with many feeling unsafe in their homes, vehicles, shopping malls and other public spaces.

In the past two weeks, two motorists were stabbed and a third shot after finding themselves stranded on the N2 in Durban.

A 64-year-old man was stabbed on the N3 near Pietermaritzburg while hitch-hiking to Johannesburg.

The suspects demanded money from him, but he tried to fight them off before he was stabbed and robbed of R200.

Yesterday, a man in his twenties was shot dead in an apparent hijacking on the N3 near Pietermaritzburg.

Last week, robbers used belts and shoelaces to tie an 82-year-old Lenasia man to a chair while they ransacked his home.

Businesses, too, are being overwhelmed by armed robbers. Fourteen robbers made off with electronic goods from a Telkom shop in Musgrave Centre just this weekend, while hijackings and home intrusions have now also become a daily occurrence.

While criminals run riot across South Africa, crime-weary citizens want to know, where are the police?

The DA in KwaZulu-Natal told POST on Monday that the province was severely understaffed, with the ratio of police-to-citizens being far worse than the average of 1:200. The KZN Department of Community Safety confirmed this week that the ratio of police to population is, in fact, 1:469.

Despite rising levels of violent crime, Durban’s metro police have not hired a single officer since 2009.

Des Moodley, of the Deputy Mayor’s steering team, which took the initiative to strengthen the fight against crime in Westville and Reservoir Hills, confirmed this, admitting that metro police numbers were low.

Moodley said the team sees social media as a powerful tool for crime alerts.

“We have to be realistic and understand that police can’t always be there. So we urge everyone to use social media,” he said.

Analysts called for the curbing of aggravated robberies, which have increased by more than 30% in the past four years.

The Institute for Security Studies (ISS) said a two-pronged solution was required, with overarching political unrest and tough economic times being major influencers of crime.

Johan Burger of the ISS said police strategy was lacking when it came to aggravated robbery.

He said police forces struggle with poor crime intelligence operatives, who often lack experience.

“Aggravated robbery increased by 31% over the past four years. In the latest crime statistics released this year, it increased another 6.9%.

“They need to focus more on aggravated robbery and have a much better integrated strategy to tackle crime syndicates.”

But Burger added that political problems contributed heavily to the crime situation. He cited the controversy surrounding suspended KZN provincial commissioner Lieutenant-General Mmamonnye Ngobeni as a major hindrance.

“Leadership problems mean nothing constructive happens,” he said.

Burger added that authorities did not consider the socioeconomic context of a given area when allocating manpower and resources. “These things stimulate crime in these areas where there is a lack of infrastructure and unemployment – that is out of the control of police.”

He said the high level of political instability in the country had to be a focus if crime was to be fought effectively.

The DA spokesperson on Community Safety in KZN, Rishigen Viranna, also blamed the crisis on a lack of political leadership.

“The police service in KZN is really understaffed, underequipped and underfunded,” he said.

Viranna said the latest statistics showed a house was burgled every 12 minutes in KZN. “We do see from the statistics that the areas that really suffer are those with high levels of unemployment.”

Toffie, who lives in the Durban CBD, told POST that nowadays she is constantly exercising caution. “It’s worse now in town than it was. Every day when you open up Whats App, you see murder, rapes and reports that people are missing. It’s very scary.

“I am the manager of a shop; last week a staff member said she was hit on her head with a broken bottle when she did not have anything to give robbers.”

Her Facebook post received dozens of “likes” and comments.

Cheryl Chanderpal wrote: “Not safe at home. Outdoors. Nowhere.”

Om Gopie: “SA is becoming lawless. We have to protect ourselves.”

Shafeeq Van Niekerk: “I agree with u Faheemah… this nonsense has gone too far… the govt turns a blind eye to crime.”

Anisha Singh: “We have an extremely violent society that has lost our moral code. This is as a result of broken homes, no (nurturing) from parents and negative media exposure. Unless we stop this violent behaviour at home, violence will increase. So yes, we can rant and rave and blame the government, but we as parents need to discipline our kids so they don’t become monsters when they are adults. We have a sense of entitlement and no empathy in the new generation.”

The spokesperson for the KZN Department of Community Safety, Sipho Khumalo, said: “In respect of violent crimes, we can distinctly implicate the key causal drivers and contributors as our society’s problematic relationship with alcohol, drugs and firearms.

“These continue to drive the high levels of murder, attempted murder and serious assault witnessed daily in our province.”

AYOUNG couple on a casual walk alongside Riverside Road, near the Umgeni Bird Park in Durban, were probably whispering sweet nothings to each other when accosted by a gang travelling in a taxi.

They were assaulted and the man died. His partner was rushed to hospital for treatment for her serious injuries.

It was an act of savage and callous brutality, a vulgar disrespect for human life and a personal tragedy of monumental proportions for the couple’s family and loved ones from which they will never fully recover.

An innocent walk through the park results in the loss of life and families are left devastated by yet another act of sheer criminality.

But that was not just an isolated incident of crime in South Africa. It was another tragedy in what has become a sickening epidemic of criminal behaviour that has engulfed the country, with little sign that the police and government have any answers.

Just as devastating is the trauma experienced by women accosted on the street and held captive by gangs who rob and rape them; for families who are the victims of house robberies almost daily; for victims of random stabbings and assaults; for women who have their thali chains and other jewellery wrenched off them in the street; for children who are raped and murdered in their homes; and for families who lose loved ones in brazen hijackings when driving home from work.

If there is one thing that unites South Africans it is their fear of becoming a victim of crime, which has now almost become a way of life in our country.

What we don’t need are assurances from government that they have everything under control. We know they don’t.

Nor do we need bombastic declarations of bravado from ministers who say they will fight fire with fire.

People don’t want idle promises. They want action against criminals who murder, steal, assault, rape, extort and hold the nation to ransom.

South Africans are tired of barricading themselves against crime. They want an end to surviving behind high walls, locks and burglar guards, and wish to live normal lives again.

They want an increase in the number of police officers patrolling their streets, more crime intelligence officers and more visible policing.

The government needs to encourage a more competent, skilled, highly equipped and better resourced police force that we can trust and rely on.

We cannot allow criminals to rule our lives.