Tuesday, August 08, 2006

South African crime: selected facts

I'm not going to pontificate, just state some indisputable facts:

  1. According to the United Nations, South Africa has the highest rate of gun-related crime in the world after Columbia(a).
  2. The South African murder rate is 51 per day (c). In Iraq on average 22 people have died per day in the last 12 months (b). The world frets about the dangers of post-Saddam Iraq.
  3. South Africa has 260 policemen per 100,000 people against a world average of 380 (a). So we are under-policed by a third. A THIRD.
  4. The South African Revenue Service is an amazingly efficient government department, regularly surprising the government and the markets with its larger than expected tax take. The fiscal deficit is considered modest and healthy. In other words there is money to spend on things like, say, policing.
  5. The Minister of Safety and Security Charles Nqakula recently said, in Parliament, people who "whinge" (sic) about crime should leave the country (d).
  6. As of this writing the government's own "programme of action" section on its own website is a month old.
  7. South Africa's world Human Development Index rank has slipped from 95th in 1995 to 120th in 2005, falling gradually each consecutive year (e).
The purpose of the state is, first and foremost, to protect its citizens. If it fails at this most basic level it can accurately be described as a Failed State.


a. According to The Economist
b. This is using the higher estimate given by IraqBodyCount.net
c. South African Police stats for 2004/2005 at the Institute for Security Studies
d. Well Mr Nqakula we get the message loud and clear. You're incompetent and you don't care.
e. Source.

2 Comments:

Blogger stroibessi said...

Dankie, jou blog is baie interessant.
Sou dit help om hierdie punte aan die regering uit te lig? Hoe op dees aarde maak mens `n verskil hier? Ek smag na `n land waar ek alleen om my blok kan loop, en my foon kan antwoord as dit lui sonder dat iemand my oor die kop slaan daarvoor.

3:09 pm  
Blogger Louis said...

Ek vermoed dit sal nie 'n bloue duit help nie - jammer ek is sinies oor die vaderland al het ek minder reg as jy. My skoonsuster, 'n intelligente geleerde mens, reken eenvoudig die duiwel is los in SA en dit het my hard laat dink...

12:43 pm  

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