Crime: Mbeki 'out of touch'
16/01/2007 23:03  - (SA)  

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Katrien Smit, Borrie la Grange and Jan-Jan Joubert, Beeld

Johannesburg - "The crime situation really is bad, and President Thabo Mbeki is out of touch with reality if he thinks it is not out of control," say experts, roleplayers and victims.

They were reacting on Tuesday to Mbeki's statement during a TV interview that it was just a perception that crime was out of control.

Mbeki told TV interviewer Tim Modise that most South Africans would agree with him.

"It's not as if someone will walk here to the TV studio in Auckland Park and get shot," said Mbeki.

"That doesn't happen and it won't happen.

Mbeki said: "Nobody can prove that the majority of the country's 40 million to 50 million citizens think that crime is spinning out of control."

20 murders in greater Brixton

Hisham Bhamjee, chairperson of the Brixton community policing forum, comprising Auckland Park, Melville, Rossmore, Mayfair and Crosby, said he advised the area's 55 000 residents to be on the alert and to take precautions.

"Personally, I would not walk along Kingsway or Henley road (which flank the SABC building in Auckland Park) at night," said Bhamjee.

Crime statistics for the greater Brixton area for 2005-'06 show that 20 people were murdered, 527 armed robberies with aggravated circumstances were committed, and there were about 680 assaults.

Former Springbok wing Gerrie Germishuys, who was recently attacked at his home in Northcliff, Johannesburg, said: "If the government's armed bodyguards were taken away from them, they would realise how unsafe the country has become."

Dr Johan Burger, a senior researcher at the Institute for Security Studies said Mbeki's statement showed that he was out of touch with the experiences of ordinary people.

In 1998, 25% of respondents said in a poll that they did not feel safe going out after dark in their own areas.

"In a similar poll in 2004, that figure had jumped to 58% of people who felt unsafe," said Burger.

'One should not be duped'

He said there were some positive indicators that crime was levelling off, but it had to be appreciated that this was from an extremely high level (of crime).

"If crime is not out of control, it is under control. And, it may be a bit early to say that.

"One should not be duped by positive tendencies, because it does not make one any safer," said Burger.

- Beeld

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