Why is SA crime so violent?

2008-05-13 21:16

Cape Town - Efforts to determine why crime in South Africa is often accompanied by excessive violence will soon bear fruit, Safety and Security Minister Charles Nqakula said on Tuesday.

The justice, crime prevention and security (JCPS) cluster of ministers will present a progress report to Cabinet at the July Lekgotla on the work of the Centre for the Study of Violence and Reconciliation (CSVR) in this regard, he told a media briefing at parliament.

The CSVR was assigned the responsibility at the beginning of last year and the final report would be submitted to government at the end of this year, he said.

"An interim report is due this month which will cover some case studies from interviews done with inmates who are serving sentences relating to violence and violence involving young people.

"The next interim report, which will be submitted in due course, will deal with violence and sexual abuse against women."

The final report, therefore, would be discussed by Cabinet at the January Lekgotla next year.

Nqakula said work by the JCPS continued to reduce the levels of contact crimes like murder, rape, indecent and serious and violent assault.

The statistics published in December last year on the first six months of the 2007/08 financial year (April 1 to September 30, 2007) indicated a steady decline in contact crimes, he said.

- SAPA