Crime in South Africa

Intruders killed David Rattray, a longtime proponent of tourism history and a recognized expert on the Anglo-Zulu War at his home as he tried to shield his wife on Friday. The murder of the respected battlefields expert has once again brought to the forefront the issue of crime in South Africa. Rattray was at his lodge in Rorke's drift, KwaZulu-Natal, when the men tried to barge into his home. There is an added level on intrigue top this tragedy, as rattray's friends believe that his murder came about not as the resulty of yet another mere property crime, but that Rattray has been targeted for assassination.

Recently Cape Town has experienced a spate of muggings at the famed botanical gardens in Kirstenbosch. For South Africans, crime is a very real concern that has not abated over the course of the last decade or so, and finally the dissatisfaction is beginning to resonate at the highest level of government, despite denials at the highest levels of government of the gravity of the problem.

With the Soccer World Cup arriving in South Africa in 2010 crime will continue to be a vital issue. As the country prepares to put on its most public face for the world since Nelson Mandela's inauguration in 1994 it is going to be essential that the ANC address the crime issue. But my hope is that they will address is systemically, as opposed simply to cracking down enough to protect the tourists for a month three years from now. South Africans daily have to deal with the harsh realities of violent crime. The causes for this epidemic are multifold: Rampant poverty, shortcomings in educational and job opportunities, a corrupt, underfunded police force, and a sense of denial on the part of the country's governing elite are all major problems. The ANC is going to have to face the crime question frontally not for the sake of publid relations, but to allow South Africa to reach its true promise.