Bilal Randeree wrote an incredible post on ThoughtLeader a few days ago. He has given me permission to republish but I wont. I think he deserves the visits for that great piece of writing.
What I will do is firstly Link to the post. And secondly give my two cents worth on the topic.
A little disclaimer here: I am in no way stating that crime in SA is not a massive, massive issue. I am in no way condemning people from leaving or doing with their lives what they want. I am not condoning crime in any way, shape or form. I am merely expressing a thought and opinion.
The basic premise of the post is to illustrate the rising international crime rate. We all know the stats and we all know that SA has a major crime problem. But what we, as South Africans, are not willing to admit is that the problem is not local to SA alone. Australia is not the answer, England is no better, teenagers rape and massacre in the USA and poverty is rife the world over.
I know I am going to get heat from this post and get people emailing me telling me that I live in a dream world, blah, blah, blah. But you know what my honest feeling is? We have crime, so do others, ours is worse, but they have other things that are worse than here.
The grass is always greener my friends. Wherever you are it is always better somewhere else for someone else at another time. Maybe humanity has progressed to such a point that our ambition is our greatest downfall and preventer of contentment?
Here is a snippet from the end of the post:
I am not sure if I mentioned this before, but I am currently living in London and all these news reports come from the newspapers here in the United Kingdom. The crime problem is so serious, I even overheard a lady on the bus-replacement service (buses used when the train service is not functioning) the other day saying: “This country is going to the dogs! I am going to emigrate to Australia and live there coz it’s much better …”
Now do yourself a favour and read this post!!
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February 5th, 2008 at 1:48 pm
Give me a break.
Yes, there is crime everywhere. Yes, violent crime can happen in any country.
However, we have over 20 000 murders every year in SA. We have 250 000 burglaries reported. 50 000 rapes. Just because it happens overseas does not mean that our crime rate is anywhere near normal. The frequency and brutality of crime in SA is matched no where on earth, save for war torn countries. South Africa is a violent place, and to even suggest that crime being evident everywhere is not justification enough to leave South Africa is foolish.
The crime issue is one that should never be underplayed, and I am disapointed that we would try and use international crime stats to try and paint a better picture for our own situation.
February 5th, 2008 at 2:56 pm
Preacher, I do see your position, and I agree with you, to a point.
I think the point of the post was not to belittle the crime rate/level in SA, but rather to show that the crime in sa does not exist in a vacuum, but there is a larger context.
Is the crime in sa out of control..yes.
Is the violence associated with crime out of control…yes.
Are we isolated as an island of crime compared to the outside “free/safe” world….no.
Crime is some of the 1st world countries mentioned is beginning to spiral out of control, and the levels of violence are also moving up.
Instead of the article making me feel more “positive” (not sying it was meant to) about sa, it makes me feel concerned for the future, regardless of country.
February 5th, 2008 at 4:37 pm
I think its incredibly naive to put us into the same box as any other country. Your chances of being hijacked in the UK are slim to none. The chances of people breaking into your home in Australia, raping the women and shooting the men, is slim to none.
These crimes happen daily in South Africa. In Australia or the UK, it happens rarely.
Yes, violent crime happens everywhere. But to even suggest that crime being everywhere is a reason to feel positive about South Africa is laughable.
Sorry, but Thought leaders contributor is clutching at straws.
February 5th, 2008 at 4:44 pm
Preacher – No one said that a comparative outlook is trying to make SA seem more positive at all. That is laughable. But South Africans suffer from a syndrome that allows us to believe that we are the only people in the world with problems, big or small.
This is not the case. Everyone, everywhere is unhappy to an extent with something at some point. It’s naive and laughable to believe that we live in a vacuum where it appears that we are the only “unhappy” people. We aren’t.
I agree with almost everything that SA has said above. He got the post spot on. Knowing your commenting history on this site it appears that you simply want to put us all in our place. A place where you want us to be. It’s not to say that I am calling for all South Africans to be ignorantly complacent and act as if nothing is wrong. Not at all. But it’s a simple fact that there is discomfort and discontent everywhere. We are not alone and we need to start building a solution for ourselves instead of saying that everyone is better off.
February 6th, 2008 at 9:58 am
But they are better off with regards to this issue! MUCH BETTER OFF. To say otherwise is ridiculous.
Only in Columbia are there more murders. SA has more rapes and armed robberies then anywhere else. These are not by small margins, they are by huge margins. 1 in 3 women will be raped in this country. How many people are hi jacked or attacked in their homes daily?
If you are going to use isolated incidents in first world countries as evidence that crime is everywhere, so leaving because of crime is foolish, then you guys are more delusional then I suspected.
If you cannot see the fault in that line of thinking, then this country is doomed. The people staying back are not positive, they are delusional crackpots that accept mediocrity and poor performance from government. Hell, here we have another example of an attempt to play down an issue that does not deserve it.
February 6th, 2008 at 10:49 am
@Preacher – “The people staying back are not positive, they are delusional crackpots that accept mediocrity and poor performance from government.” – What sort of absolute bull is that?
So because I stay I must believe in mediocrity? Have you heard of change? Because people in Apartheid stayed in SA did they believe in mediocrity and lack of change? No. They believed in a better society. So they STAYED to make it that.
I am staying to do that. Not to believe in a mediocre government.
But you know what, you will never come round. And I don’t want you too if you aren’t interested. It’s good and necessary to have your opinion around because you make me re-asses my positions. Which is a good and necessary thing.
So again, thanks for the comment there.
February 6th, 2008 at 5:10 pm
By looking to try and create a postive spin out of a dire situation, you contribute more to the problem. Dissatisfaction leads to complaint, and complaint leads to action which leads to change.
If everyone would stick together and actually protest against AA, BEE, bad governance and crime, then government would have to take action. That would never happen though. The minority is more divided then the majority. You cannot change the tide when that is the case. Its economically, politically and socially impossible
Alas, we would rather cite the growing crime rate internationally, or admonish those who are leaving because they are fed up. Leaving IS a form of protest. You are voting with your tax money and your feet. What greater way to exhibit dissatisfaction then by packing your bags and moving?
If you continue to try and put a positive spin on every good thing the Government does, but candy coat the real issues in a typically “positive” South African attitude, you are telling Government that their behaviour has been acceptable. People need to stop thinking that the complaining they hear on a daily basis is negative. Its a cry for change. Those that have left or will leave are just sick and tired of crying.
February 6th, 2008 at 5:56 pm
Preacher I think that you and I simply differ from a difference of opinion here.
I simply believe that being positive invokes positive change. Being negative and “Voting with your feet” invokes despair and departure. And you can argue to the hilt that leaving is helping but the truth is that it does more damage to the country than it’s worth.
I also take offence to the statement that I put a positive spin on everything the government does. I don’t do that at all. I pose question and scenarios that might force people to analyse their positions and that of the government. If anything I try to reward positive change and positive action that the government has implemented over time. It does no good to berate everything equally at all times. It’s the same thing as you are saying, if people are irrationally positive then it’s ignorant. If you are irrational negative on a blanket level then nothing is rewarded ever and a defeatist mentality comes in to play. Balance needs to exist and relentless bitching and moaning hasn’t worked over the past 15 years so I’m trying a different approach, as are many, many other people.
February 7th, 2008 at 5:37 pm
All things taken into account the grass is still greener here, else I’d be gone.
Whilst other countries have crime problems, South Africa’s is 10 fold and has a much higher violent crime rate. And it’s not the poverty, take a country like India which is poorer than South Africa but yet it’s safe to walk through the cities at night.
August 15th, 2009 at 10:21 am
SA is:
No1: rapes per capita (one rape every 40 seconds)
No2: assault and murder (by all means)
No2: Murders (per capita)
No1: Murders with firearms
No4: Burglaries
No2: Kidnappings
No10: Total crime per capita out of 60 countries measured.
No1: Incidences of child and baby rape in the world
No1: Ranked by HIV/AIDS population 5,7m (11.9% of population ~ 1 out of 10), or No5 Ranked by prevalence rate
No183: Life Expectancy of only 42.45 years.
No130: infant mortality rate 44.8 deaths/1,000 live births and 66.0 Under-five mortality rate (deaths/1,000 live births)
farm attacks: murder rate is four times that of the general South African population. ~ 3,000 deaths, rate of murders had increased by 25% since 2005. 9,400 farm attacks, an estimated 61% of victims are white
for a full report see: http://www.nationmaster.com/red/country/sf-south-africa/cri-crime&b_cite=1
August 15th, 2009 at 12:52 pm
@ nic,
stop making statements you can not back up – “Australia is not the answer, England is no better, teenagers rape and massacre in the USA and poverty is rife the world over. ”
have you ever lived, worked & paid taxes anywhere else but ZA? No.
So do not make statements saying that Leaving SA is not the solution. It is, and many have and are doing it. You can not stop it, because you refuse to do something about the crap situation ZA is in.
THis statement from Preacher sums it up:
If you are going to use isolated incidents in first world countries as evidence that crime is everywhere, so leaving because of crime is foolish, then you guys are more delusional then I suspected.
Nic, sorry to say, but i think you are part of the problem.
April 18th, 2010 at 12:06 am
when moving to Athens Greece ten years ago, it was so safe we slept with the key on the outside of the front door..and no watchdogs or big fences… nowadays there are reports of crime , robbery , bombs and murder on the news..10yrs ago i remember one hijacking of a taxi being in the news for 3 days.. because it was unheard of… a few days a ago.. a refugee family from Afghanistan living in Athens , were going for a walk and the son, daughter and mother got blown up by a bomb planted by anarchists……I left S.A for finding a job, independence and safety..
I could not think of a more beautiful, healthy place to raise my kids than South Africa. I am seriously considering coming back.
May 16th, 2010 at 5:24 am
@C,
Greece is in shit right now. At least yhe EU is helping them. Who us helping RSA? Is Nic helping by putting a possitive spin on the real crime rate.
Nic, you are a bit if a joke my boy. For years mow yiu keep on saying let’s do something, let’s be possitive. Yet, you do nothing. Yet you refuse to take my bet to give up your EU passport.
Nic , what are you doing to help RSA get out of the shit? Nothing. You have a blog and post rubbish and live in denial. One day when you get children you will have a different opinion. Let’s see how quick you run. All your posts are just saying that RSA folks needs to be possitive and then things will change. So are you saying that RSA folks should smile when being ribbed, smile when the wife gets raped, smile when your parents get blown up, smile when you can not get a job??? I just find it a bit of a joke that you are so ignorent. I honestly think that you are part of the problem. If you want to stay – and take my bet to give up your EU passport – then get off yiur butt and do something. The funny thing is that yiu do not know what this something is as the real turth is that there is nothing you can do. I hope you enjoy watching RSA go down and am so glad that you are doing it with a smile.
RSA folks are running. So does not matter how many lies an false spinns you put on, you know this is true. Please do switch off the light when you leave as you will be either the last one, or will be killed before that.
Good luck dude, your blogs are so uninformed rubbish it makes me giggle.