This section contains the feedback I've received from readers about my website. If you want to give me feedback click here. Your comment will be posted as soon as possible. Please keep in mind that most of the feedback comments received before 3 December 2007 is only relevant to the Crime Expo South Africa debate.
T. Grobler: Crime has destroyed my life!
Sunday, 02 November 2008 22:35
Yes that sounds a bit harsh because a person always has the ability to bounce back, but not in my situation.
In Nov 2000 my wife and i were held up in an armed robbery at morningside country club, we were managers there. The organisers turned out to be my domestic servants'husband. I had used him to do some carpentry work at the club. My reward for assisting a person without work was to be robbed at gunpoint. Th one perpetrator pulled the trigger twice with the barrel against my head, the gunned jammed.
I sold my house in bryanston, and took my family to mpumalanga hoping to flee crime. In 2006 i was working for Samancor eastern chrome mines as a club manager. We had a few chalets on the premises. Once chalets'occupants were robbed at gunpoint one evening. The chalet was 50 meters from my house.
According to official statistics about 70% of murders are committed by acquaintances, friends and relatives of the victim. However, the term "acquaintances" is broad - for example - it could include a labourer of some domestic service provider that happened to do work for you on an once off or irregular basis.
In response to your post, The reason so many of us South Africans are leaving and working abroad is because there are not enough jobs in our country-if you are lucky to get a job then you have to be prepared to earn very little and pay the rest to the tax man who is clearly not putting our money to good use!Then with the tiny but that remains you are expected to survive and buy food that is ridiculously over priced!The other reason is yes-crime in SA.I went home after 3 months of being away and within the 4th hour of my visit there was an armed robbery in the mall where we were having dinner-they shot for the sake of shooting at anyone around them - including children who go to the mall for skate boarding etc...then sped off in their car-with fake plates with chances of being caught very slim!
I feel I would rather have the choice to go back home when things get better than to sit in a crime riddled country. I can also help my family but earning more money so that they can at least buy food! You can still be patriotic in another country!
Just as you are concerned something could happen to you whilst in SA as am I.So I am doing everything in my power to help my family immigrate so my young brothers actually have a future!
I hope this makes sense to you and you can understand why so many of us are leaving?The situation is beyond trying to stick it through for the sake of our country-it is so dangerous and I personally think not worth my family or my lives!
Two days ago after another wonderful holiday in SA we at last fell victim to the soaring crime rate in your country. We were victims of an ATM scam. I know we shouldn't have fallen for it but we did and it leaves a bitter taste in one's mouth.
Something needs to be done. When Security Guards are involved what are you meant to do?
Dear Malan, I have visited South Africa the last two Februaries for 3 weeks. I started in Cape Town, going up the Garden Route to East London and Port Elizabeth, then on to Durban. I then stayed a week in Natal, some with my cousin.
As an Englishman, I have found the people wonderfully hospitable although I spent little time in Cape Town, which could be the reason. When watching schools cricket, the pupils were incredibly polite and well behaved. There do not seem to be drunken teenagers wondering around the streets at the weekends, like here. The food and the service in restaurants were superb. I coached cricket in South Africa for 6 months in the past and appreciated the commitment to sport in the country. The pride in the schools and the discipline contrasts sharply with many in England. I did not encounter too much crime, which could be because of the areas, which I visited. It is a fascinating country and conversations between people seem to be on a higher level to most in England.
What I found sad was the fact that every family seems to have sons or daughters who are now working abroad, either because they see limited opportunity for Europeans in the workplace or the crime situation. The loss to the country of a large proportion of its most able people must be a problem. I would have liked to spend more time in the future in South Africa, but there is always the concern that there is a real chance of something happened to you and that the consequences could be drastic. I would love to be convinced otherwise.
Vellies Hi Malan, I see that apart from the (expected) praise-singing by regime flunkies and the rather naive hallelujah brigade, you are also being hammered by some more independent and outspoken realists. What I would like to add is a comment on what you said to E. de Witt: You blame the location of police stations for a lack of security in black areas, - while, back at the ranch, it was the terrorism by the ANC which made black areas unsafe. Ever heard about necklace murders, for example? Then... Read more/Comment
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Getting behind the statistics to offer a sober and sobering account of the scale of the crime problem and its evolution, the book describes how government has sometimes sought to deal with the crisis and sometimes sought to deny its existence. The book ends with some suggestions of what needs to be done to deal with this scourge. Buy
