South African Crime Quotes
Crime quotes related to Soccer World Cup 2010
Jan Hugo |
"The time will come when parents will be held criminally liable for their neglect." Judge Jan Hugo criticising the relative who allowed 2 sixteen-year-old girls (Kalin Jooste & Zelné Maritz) to go to a nightclub in Margate where Kalin was stabbed to death (in December 2005). Kalin's attackers, Thembisile Pilisi and Chico Sinama, were sentenced to life in prison. |
Corne Mullder |
"They can change every name in South Africa, but it won't change the fact that the government has failed to provide services or curb crime". Corne Mullder of the Freedom Front Plus (IOL) |
Maria Mbhele |
"I am at peace with his mother. She is in pain like me. But I am not at peace with her son because he has not told us the truth". Maria Mbhele, the mother of a boy who was killed by being stabbed in Johannesburg at Forest High, on her feelings towards the mother of her son's alleged killer. |
Deena Naidoo |
"At times, cash protection guards are mercilessly murdered. Some happen to be loving fathers, husbands, sons, brothers and uncles. Do you uncivilised barbarians even think of the pain and sufferings you'll cause, just for the greed of money?" Deena Naidoo from Milnerton. |
Achille Mbembe |
"Crime is fast destroying the moral fabric of South African cities, and is becoming a major threat to South African democracy as well as the prominent manifestation of a “class war” that is largely a continuation of the “race war” of yesterday." Achille Mbembe, research professor in history and politics at the University of the Witwatersrand. |
Desmond Tutu |
"Is it not horrendous to an African, even before Black Consciousness came on the scene, for whatever reason for an adult man to rape a nine-month-old baby? What has come over us? Perhaps we did not realise just how apartheid has damaged us so that we seem to have lost our sense of right and wrong, so that when we go on strike as is our right to do, we are not appalled that some of us can chuck people out of moving trains because they did not join the strike, or why is it common practice now to trash, to go on the rampage? Even our students on strike will often destroy the very facilities they need for their studies." |
Johan Visser |
"Jails are run by gang leaders. Warders are at worst in cahoots with the gang leaders or too scared to intervene. At best they feel powerless with a high prisoner: warden ratio. Most prisoners are in group cells where the gang leader decides who gets (often brutally) sodomised for the night, which channels to watch on television, etc." Johan Visser, Pastoral Care, Salvation Army, Goodwood. |
Anonymous former prisoner |
"I never ate prison food. I'd give them money and send them out to buy me food. They can do anything for you. They'd even bring in liquor. We had great parties...But if you don't have money in prison, you are not well treated by either the fellow prisoners or warders. You suffer. You get raped. You don't get medical treatment. The warders don't respect you...Prison makes you hard." |
Anonymous former prisoner |
"You can do nothing in awaiting trial (prison). There is no recreation, no rehabilitation. If you are lucky you are locked up for 23 hours and have one hour of exercise. If you are not you are locked up for 24 hours. There is no space in those cells and until recently no hot water". |
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"It swung in the air like a merry-go-round-swing" - Thomas Vosloo giving evidence at the Pretoria District Court trial of Oupa Jan Seemo, who allegedly dragged his dog behind his car "to teach it a lesson" |
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"In the country's black townships gangsterism is the order of the day. Women are being abused and children are being gang-raped almost daily...Many of our young people are going down to the grave with their talents and this is partly because of their involvement in crime, drug trafficking and prostitution, and the HIV-Aids pandemic and materialism that have taken over our youth." Sibongile Somdaka, chairman of the Azanian Youth Organisation in the Western Cape |
New Zealand Foreign Ministry's Travel website |
"Crime is a serious issue throughout South Africa. Travellers should be vigilant at all times, especially at bus stations, airports (especially Johannesburg International Airport), as organised gangs are known to operate there. In Johannesburg visitors should be especially vigilant in the central business district as muggings and carjackings are prevalent...Caution should be exercised in Pretoria. You should be careful at all times in the city of Durban and by the beachfront. Carjackings are common in this city. Muggings can occur anywhere at any time. If visiting Kruger Park be aware of the danger of carjackings on roads leading into the park. Cape Town visitors who go to Table Mountain should only go in groups to minimise the risk of attack. Those wishing to visit the townships should only do so as part of an organised tour by a reputable company." |
Arrie Hattingh |
"Must we close the courts, sit and twiddle our thumbs and do everything in Africa time to accommodate a national police commissioner who doesn't do his job?" Judge Arrie Hattingh, a Free State circuit court judge presiding over a fatal stabbing case in which a DNA report was still outstanding after 5 months. |
Charles Nqakula |
"If you don't have a car, ride a bicycle or a donkey.", Safety and Security Minister Charles Nqakula advising police who blame a lack of transport for their slow resonse to crime calls. |
Max Ozinsky |
"We stand by our leaders...we will be showing our solidarity with him," Max Ozinsky, the ANC's deputy provincial secretary, commenting after Tony Yengeni's prison sentence was confirmed that various ANC officials are expected to accompany Yengeni when he reports to Pollsmoor Prison. Ironically, Yengeni himself attended former ANC heavyweight Allan Boesak's send-off to prison for fraud in 2000. |
Burger |
“The idea that you can combat crime deeply rooted in socio-economic conditions with increased policing is a fallacy.” Crime expert Johan Burger, a researcher linked to the Institute for Security
Studies (ISS) in Pretoria. |
Adam Alexander |
"South Africa’s violent struggle against apartheid, together with its vast inequalities in wealth, has left it reeling from one of the highest per capita rates of violent crime in the world. The murder rate in South Africa shot up at the onset of democracy 12 years ago, but after peaking around 2001, it began to fall. Police statistics show that while 21,405 homicides were recorded in 2002/2003 in South Africa, only 18,793 murders were committed between March 2004 and April 2005. Interestingly, perhaps, 80 per cent of murders are committed by people who know each other." |
Adam Alexander |
"The ANC government's reaction has been decisive. Those that don't like it can
leave, they say. Or so said the man responsible for fighting crime, Charles
Nqakula, South Africa's Minister for Safety and Security. The furious backlash
has since had him furiously back-peddling, and he has now ordered an inquiry
into the nature of violent crime. Either that's the old politician’s trick of appearing to do something without doing anything, or it really is a mystery to him." |
Adam Alexander |
"The latest thing is people who live in the squatter camps dropping boulders from motorway bridges onto the windscreens of luxury cars passing underneath – resulting already in a number of deaths. A perfect example of the mindless violence that people here have become almost inured to, in a country with 18,000 murders a year, and so many rapes and robberies that South Africa is now classified as the world's second most violent country not at war, after Colombia." |
Erika Gibson |
"The newly-appointed director of prosecutions (Ernest Zwane) in the defence force's legal department who has to make decisions about prosecuting soldiers, himself has a criminal record...Zwane was found guilty in November 2005 of two charges of fraud after he claimed to have qualifications from Fort Hare University, among other claims. He was also found guilty of illegally possessing a firearm and ammunition. Zwane was sentenced to five years' imprisonment on the two fraud charges. The sentence was suspended for five years. For illegally being in possession of a firearm he was fined R4 000 and R1 000 for the ammunition contravention, or 18 months' imprisonment...In his new post he will be in control of all military prosecutors and they will appear under his authority." Erika Gibson writing for Beeld |
Sibongile Khumalo |
"KwaZulu-Natal local government politicians are the most guarded in the country, with hundreds of thousands of rands spent on personal security", Sibongile Khumalo, writing for the Sunday Times. |
Thabo Mkhize |
"It is estimated that the number of South African households that subscribe to private security companies could be as high as 1.5 million", Thabo Mkhize, writing for the Sunday Times. |
Boyane Tshehla |
"If it was not for financial restraints, everyone would have private security in SA", Boyane Tshehla, head of the Crime and Justice Programme at the Institute of Security Studies. |
Thabo Mkhize |
"The security industry has about a million registered guards, of whom close to 300,000 are currently employed by more than 4882 registered security companies. In comparison, the South African Police Service, responsible for crime fighting nationally, has just more than 165,000 members (including administrative staff) and a budget this year of R32.5-billion." Thabo Mkhize, writing for the Sunday Times. |
Vivian Reddy |
"It is unfortunate that we have to live in a fortress, but we are forced to do so given the high crime rate in the country. I travel with two bodyguards all the time and there is substantial cost involved", Vivian Reddy - a Durban businessman. |
Guy Lamb |
"What is really interesting about the information they have provided is that while other unnatural deaths (such as suicides, stabbings, drownings) have remained constant the gun-related deaths have dropped by 50&." Guy Lamb of the Institute of Security Studies, commenting on the reduction in gun-related deaths in South Africa since the implementation of the Firearms Control Act of 2000. |
Adele Kirsten |
"These statistics are amazing, particularly in the Western Cape, where there is almost a 50% reduction." Adele Kirsten, founding member of Gun Free South Africa, commenting on the reduction in gun-related deaths in South Africa since the implementation of the Firearms Control Act of 2000. |
Barry Sergeant |
"A recent analysis showed that out of the 135 annual audits conducted by South Africa’s Auditor-General on the key 34 government departments and public entities, from 2001-2 to 2004-5, there were only seven 'Clean Reports'.
The worst performing entities (unclean in four out of four years) were Home Affairs and Correctional Services, but the bottom line is that nearly 30% of the national budget, running into tens of billions of rands a year, is being mismanaged. Nobody is being held to account, never mind prosecuted." |
Barry Sergeant |
"Real police are as rare as rocking horse shit" |
Barry Sergeant |
"More than 1 000 South African peacekeepers involved in missions in Burundi and the Democratic Republic of Congo have been charged with misconduct since 2002." |
Barry Sergeant |
"The SAPS blows over R60m a year on private security firms in efforts to protect itself." |
Rory Carroll |
"The government says violent crime peaked in the 1990s and has been steadily declining, with annual murder rates dipping below 20 000. You are still 12 times likelier to be killed than the average American, or 50 times likelier than the average Western European, but that is progress none the less." |
Bienne Huisman |
"...there is a 99% chance of a South African inmate being sexually violated - and possibly gang-raped and infected with HIV...three out of five inmates were raped." Bienne Huisman writing for the Sunday Times. |
William |
"At a national level, South Africa lied about successive Zimbabwean elections being 'free and fair'." William Saunderson-Meyer writing for the Weekend Argus. |
William Saunderson-Meyer |
" 'Come to friendly South Africa' used to be the tourism slogan. More accurately, the invitation should be to visit what is one of the most deceitful countries extant." William Saunderson-Meyer writing for the Weekend Argus. |
Bronwyn Pereira |
"One of the key trends is that one of the most unsafe places for women is their homes and that's quite scary". Bronwyn Pereira of the Foundation for Human Rights on a study of women's vulnerability to violence. |
Monhla Hlahla |
"There has been a significant increase in crime which has affected airports", Monhla Hlahla (Airports Company South Africa's MD). |
Fred Bridgland |
"The sheer arrogance and excessive force used by gangsters in heists has had a devastating impact on ordinary people's feelings of safety and security. People feel vulnerable, not least because the underpaid police seem incapable of combating the criminals." |
Peter Bruce |
"Whatever the police or politicians may tell us, this is a violent and threatening place. Living here is dangerous." editor of a daily newspaper, Business Day. |
Charles Nqakula |
"The police and other law enforcements agencies are going to concentrate their efforts on organised crime, especially organised aggravated robbery", Safety and Security Minister Charles Nqakula. |
Thabo Mbeki |
"You know London has got one of the highest incidents of car theft, worse than car theft [in] Johannesburg, so if you say we must imitate London ..." |
André Brink |
"How many murders are committed in Gauteng, or in the Western Cape, in a month? A week? A day? An hour? But of course we are not allowed to know for sure. In close and direct imitation of his apartheid models, Selebi ensures that no statistics about crime may be published regularly in the press." |
Kevin Woods |
"I don't know how I kept sane - maybe I'm not sane". Kevin Woods, an apartheid assassin, on being set free after 19 years in Zimbabwean prisons. |
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