‘Encouraging but not good enough’

KWAZULU-NATAL business leaders have given the thumbsup to the province’s crime stats, which declined in most categories, according to the annual report released yesterday.

Jody Nair, the KZN spokesman for Business Against Crime, said he was pleased as the stats were heading in the direction which they had expected. He said while the percentages were not huge, when the figures were added up, they pointed to a big decrease in crime levels. “It’s… a move in the right direction as it creates an atmosphere in which business can thrive,” said Nair. He said businesses were operating in trying times and the news would bring some relief. Nair urged everyone to do their bit to combat crime.

Yesterday, Melanie Veness, the CEO of the Pietermaritzburg Chamber of Commerce, welcomed news of the decline in the crime rates.

“Overall it is good news for KZN because crime has an impact on whether we are an investor-friendly destination.”

She said Pietermaritzburg was fortunate because the Safe City organisation had reduced crime in the CBD.

Andrew Layman, of the Durban Chamber of Business, said the decrease in the crime rate was “an encouraging trend all round, but not good enough for us to be complacent”. He said the differences from the previous year’s stats were small.

Layman said it would be significant if the city could prove that crimes involving tourists had decreased.