By Saul Molobi
The right to security, including freedom from violent crime, is a human right provided for in the Bill of Rights, specifically in section 12 of the constitution.
This right applies to all people who reside in the country.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) defines violence as “the intentional use of physical force or power, threatened or actual, against oneself, another person, or against a group or community, which either results in or has a high likelihood of resulting in injury, death, psychological harm, maldevelopment, or deprivation”.
It also defines crime as “an action that violates the law regardless of whether or not it involves violence”.
Drawing from the definition of violent crime above, it is evident that there can never be a one-size-fits-all solution to dealing with it, since it crosses fields such as criminology, psychology, sociology, economics, and even urban development.
Possible causes of crime
As one zooms into crime from a socioeconomic and developmental context, South Africa’s triple difficulties of poverty, inequality, and unemployment are well-established, bringing in a sociology perspective in relation to the causes of the occurrence.
The country’s development blueprint, National Development Plan (NDP), records that: “The combination of poor and inadequate state welfare services and poverty and inequality produces social problems and high-risk behaviour.”
Additional causes include family difficulties, peer pressure, delinquency, truancy, and substance abuse, making it difficult to pinpoint a single cause of crime and necessitating a multifaceted approach to dealing with violent crime.
Crime statistics for 2022/23 third quarter announced by Minister of Police Bheki Cele point to a 11.6% and 7.2% increase, respectively for all contact and crimes related to property.
South Africa’s interventions
Deliverables by the criminal justice system are aligned with the priorities outlined in the NDP towards a crime-free South Africa.
The community policing forum approach is specifically linked to the priorities on building safety using an integrated approach and building community participation in community safety.
The government’s integrated crime and violence prevention plan, which addresses the causes of crime, will be expedited to improve community and national safety and security.
After all, dealing with crime remains a multi-stakeholder responsibility and effort, that is the government, communities, civil society, and the private sector.
Many international syndicates have made South Africa a springboard into which they have conducted crimes of an international nature, targeting first-world countries.
One of such recent incidents is a report on three Nigerian nationals conducting their fraudulent activities from Johannesburg. The trio has since been nabbed for theft amounting to R116-million.
They were allegedly targeting US companies, hacking them and stealing information. The group will now be extradited to the US, where it could be facing a lengthy federal prison sentence.
The takedown was a joint operation between the Hawks – Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation – and US Homeland Security Secret Service, US Department of Justice, and Interpol office in Pretoria.
This type of relationship is valued as most cybercrimes are targeted at the UK and the US.
Even though South Africa has been greylisted and we have had capacity and infrastructure issues, the country has sent a clear message to international criminal syndicates that South Africa is not their playground.
Way forward
Of late, South Africa expressed serious concerns about the torching of trucks in different provinces, which is denting the image and reputation of the country abroad.
The level of damage to property has been described as equivalent to economic sabotage and the consequences for the country’s economic prospects in terms of investor confidence may be severe.
The timing of these heinous acts is also disturbing, understanding that South Africa is preparing to host international dignitaries who will be attending the BRICS Summit in Johannesburg in September.
To this end, South Africans and investors are rightfully anxious about the negative impact of violent crimes on investor confidence and economic activity.
In this regard, the prosecution should work hard to ensure that there is success in cases emanating from law-enforcement investigations, to ensure perpetrators are bought to book.
In terms of ensuring that the work of parties involved in the criminal justice system is effective, all oversight mechanisms should be functional while there should be a clear and deliberate communication plan on steps taken to restore the reputation of the JCPS (justice, crime prevention and security) cluster thus investor confidence.
• Molobi is former head of Mission for South Africa in Milan, Italy. Currently, he is the non-executive director at the Global Council for the Promotion of International Trade
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