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Antony Altbeker asks 'Is South Africa really the world’s crime capital?' We believe, in other words, that crime levels here are at least as high, but usually higher, than those with which the rest of humanity must contend.
Politicians, religious leaders and social commentators have all spoken about a breakdown in morality in South Africa, with crime as the most commonly cited evidence. The moral regeneration initiative is one response to this crisis, emerging in parallel to countless other initiatives aimed at reducing crime, some of which have themselves contained explicit appeals to morals, values or ethics. Janine Rauch investigates.
Although legislation exists to govern the incorporation of traditional leaders into the post-1994 democracy, intense debates on the issue continue. Traditional leaders contribute to several spheres of governance, but their role in crime prevention and the administration of justice is more pronounced. The key question Boyane Tshehla puts forward is not be whether traditional leaders should perform such functions, but how they can participate in the delivery of local safety.
Karina Landman and Susan Liebermann refer to SA Crime Quarterly No 8 2004, where the argument was made for better use of bylaws by city governments in an effort to prevent crime to open the debate on a model recently piloted by the CSIR showing the benefits of directly involving residents in the planning of integrated safety strategies for their area.
In December 1993, the national police commissioner issued a draft National Instruction on sector policing. The West Rand policing area in Johannesburg has interpreted this instruction creatively and ambitiously, and used it to fashion a new style of grassroots policing. Jonny Steinberg describes the form of policing taking shape in the West Rand and the challenges facing police officials in the area.
