By any country's standards, these
crime statistics would be shameful, let alone a nation about to host one
of the world's greatest sporting events.
The figures will be about
the same tomorrow and the day after — and there are just 692 days left
before the troubled nation hosts football’s FIFA World Cup finals.
Tens of thousands of
Brits will (may?) be heading there in 2010, should some or all of our
home nations qualify.
And South Africa’s shameful
crime record is triggering alarm bells at football’s governing body,
FIFA.
FIFA President
Sepp Blatter has already put three undisclosed countries on stand-by
to host the tournament with just a year's notice, should security
chiefs fail to convince them they have the situation under control.
But some South
Africans are urging Blatter to speak to people on the street to get
the full, frightening facts.
Farmer Steph
Hartung, from Johannesburg, has been robbed and shot at more times
than he cares to remember.
And he has this
chilling advice for football fans heading to Africa in 2010:
“This is
Africa, this is not like anywhere else. You have to fight like a lion
– or die like a rat.”
Mr Hartung is
head of campaign group Victims In the Republic of South Africa (VIRSA).
“If fans are
thinking of coming over they need to be prepared to defend themselves.
“I’d say come
along and look where you are going — and watch who’s behind you.”
Not yet
built ... Janine Self outside one of
South Africa's unfinished stadiums.
Mr Hartung runs an
essential oils farm south of Johannesburg. He said, “It's a
high-risk area and a high-risk job — it's just part of my life.”
Bizarrely, he
adds: “I can honestly say that everyone who has ever robbed me has been
very polite. “They have always said please and
thank-you while pointing the gun.
“I was car-jacked
when I dropped off one of my workers. A guy came from behind the wall
and suddenly there was a gun in my face.
“But there were
other guys behind the wall and there was a big shootout.
“One of the guys was killed and, within 30 seconds of his death, his gun
and shoes had been stolen.
“I set up VIRSA
because there are a lot of poor, uneducated, vulnerable people out there
who are victims of crime and there is no one to help.”
Thomas Eastes is
chairman of Gun Owners Of South Africa, a body representing 2.5
MILLION people who keep firearms in their home.
Shocking
crime record ... South Africa
He said: “I fear a tragedy. The
government needs to do something or lives could be lost.
“There is a huge criminal element in this country and it’s out of
control. “People are getting shot for a tiny amount
of money."
“All these criminals will look at
the World Cup in 2010 as a wonderful opportunity. There will be hundreds
of thousands of visitors with dollars and Pounds and euros.
“The security
chiefs say they will have it under control but the football authorities
should do surveys with people on the street.
“Lies are being
told and everyone says the politically correct thing about crime not
being a problem in two years’ time.
“But in my opinion
the police are not capable of defending the people of this country now.”
Mr Eastes, of Cape
Town, owns guns for hunting and for self-defence.
Like a huge number
of his countrymen, he is also a victim of crime.
Steph Hartung with
wife Pinky Duma
He said: “Apart
from the usual break-ins and robberies, my daughter Nikita was shot
nine years ago, when she was five.
“We were in a
shopping complex and there was an armed robbery.
“They shot security guards and then
just started firing randomly. Fortunately, Nikita recovered. I would
like to think I will never use my gun but I will never allow myself to
become a victim.”
Amazingly, South Africa’s crime
statistics are improving. But in a country of 49 million,
the figures are still staggering. Houses in the suburbs of
Johannesburg are hidden behind high walls, electric fences and have
radio connections to 24-hour armed response security guards.
Motorists are advised, if driving
at night, to drive through red lights rather than risk a car-jacking.
And driving itself is a danger — a lack of public transport means
nearly everyone gets behind a wheel, and many of them drink.
Last year, 11,577 fatal
crashes were caused by alcohol. Some were vehicles
driven by officials who are expected to set the right standards.
Every small business has barred
windows and panic buttons and gangs regularly bomb cash-point
machines in a bid to rob them.
Yet police insist they will have
everything under control for 2010 and that visitors will be safe.
Johannesburg police plan to draft
in an extra 40,000 officers, equipped with body-armour and water
cannons. (Why is this necessary? This is after all
supposed to be a civilised country and it is only a sporting event.)
Cape Town security minister Leonard
Ramatlakane has been sending some of his officers to London to learn
lessons in crowd control from the Metropolitan Police. (The
old government was expert is such matters.)
He admits: “We have to accelerate
these plans. I’m confident that we will win and that we will be leaving
a legacy after 2010.”
The point is. what kind of legacy?
The final call to the World that the Rainbow nation's prominent colour
is red for spilt blood? |
