I have been a police officer in South Africa since July 1980 and for the past 3 years patroled a farming area in North West Province. I am also an Executive member of our Community Policing Forum and have owned various security companies. I have never seen the level of violence suggested above and can't identify with the impression that the author is giving. If I get a chance I'll write a responding article.

Andy Grudko
Hartbeespoort
Nort West Province
South Africa

I would like to reply to the response of Andy Grudko and to the statements the author made. First of all, Andy. You must certainly be the only person in South-Africa who has not witnessed the crimes that is discussed. I know the North West province quit good and it is not as safe as you make it out to be. My father in law, with the help of the private security force that he needs to protect him and his family on the farm, stopped an attack on them one evening. They live in North West. Being in some sort of security capacity, you surely must have been in contact with the crime we experience in South Africa. My advice to you Andy is, wake up and smell the coffee. The water is slowly warming and is at boiling point.

To the author. Some of the statistics you mention is true, over 1000 farmer’s murdered since the new ANC government took over, on some of the others I can’t comment as I myself do not know the exact numbers and could not because the government does not publish it. But if I may, I would like to give my opinion on why there are so many farm murders.

First of all South Africa do not have a democratic government, we have a one party rule. The ANC regime acquired their power by gaining mass votes, by using very delicate intimidation of their own people and playing the freedom struggle for all it is worth. It is a well known fact that land reform is very high on the agenda. But in stead of doing what Mogabe did, the ANC regime approached the issue more open minded.

The fact is that they won’t rest until they have all the farm lands in South Africa. By not doing anything about the farm killings, they are in fact assisting the perpetrators in doing these crimes. Maybe even funding them. Let’s face it, if the ANC government can get people to be so afraid of farming, people will willingly sell their farms or not even go into farming. That’s all the ANC regime wants. They acquired all the land they required without loosing face with the international community.

Now to readers in general. We as white South Africans are slowly being murdered in our own country by our own ‘government’. We are a country in desperate need of international help. The people producing our food are being killed and replaced by framers who only produce what they need no excess. Soon South Africa will also be just another African country begging for food. So next time you see Nelson Mandela smiling and dancing on an international forum, think about all the blood that is flowing , coming from young mothers, their babies, whole families.

Yours Sincerely

Eugene Marais

I am the daughter of a South African farmer. I am not allowed to walk our dogs, two Rotweillers, further than about 500 meter from our home if I am not accompanied by on of my brothers. We are of the lucky ones who's home has only been broken into. In South Africa, if you are not raped or killed during an attack, you are considered blessed. I have a friend who lives in Namibia, his name is W. Rohe. Almost two years ago, he found his father in the cattle enclosure of his farm were he had been stoned to death by three of his workers, his head smashed with a large stone. We are not aware of any attempts have been made by the police to find the murderers.

As I my studies involve South African political history, I am fully aware of the horrors commited by the Apartheid Government and white South Africans as well as inter-racial massacres. Is it now, because those who are murdered are white Boers, that the government sees it as 'fair.' An eye for an eye? Why is so little being done about it? Oh, I forgot, Steve Tchwete bough 4 helicopters to patrol rural areas with high murder rates. This year it will be ten years since the first democratic ellections held in South Africa, but little has changed. The ANC had a difficult task to pick up and put together the pieces of a violent post-Apartheid South Africa, but the violence has not seized. The fear that all races in South Africa live in has only increased during the past ten years and one cannot but lose faith in a government that cannot protect its people. I agree with Mr. Marais, South Africa's people, and especially its farming communities, is in desperate need of international help. Murder statistics also need to be made known internationally as the Mbeki governement is not informing South Africans or the world about the truth of these murders ( see www.CensorBugbear.com).

Need help and relief of fear
A Conradie

The only way you will end the horror crimes in South Africa is to immigrate to a first world country - The blacks will take what they whant as long as tey want too and strive on crime to resolve their own incompetancies and then blame it on Apartheid.
Get out and start to live a life you owe to yourself and your children.

what do you know about what the boers did?why do you whites have to complain about the lands that you took violently,without any respect to the africans.you like to segregate yourselves from the others.you have hatred to africans you only like it when you are incharge and can get away with the wealth you acquired from the african,s back and sweat.I know how I was treated by apartheid.I was beat,kicked,starved and mentaly abused by it.personaly "ek het julle ge vergeeve"so don't start this again.let's try to work hand in hand dont try to acuse.unless you want to taste a can of worms.you were protected by your white regeime practicing nazism om the african soil.nobody likes crime but you are not an angel either.already you sound like racist's..like chris said there it's greener in holland and elsewere if you don't want to solve and live together with the Africans.no eye for an eye.don't point fingers.things will work out."Rome was not built in one day".one day you'll understand that violence breeds another.

If you are a victim of crime committed by a black person,try not to blame black people as a whole.Judge the person/s who committed the crime.Yes,most of the crime in South Africa is black but for obvious reasons.Whites constitute a small percentage of SA's population of which all are from European decent and are quite "well off" in comparison.The quality and conditions of living between black and white is very unbalanced due to lack of government funding,education,aids etc.This puts whites in a vulnerable position and many leave because of it.I grew up in Yeoville,Gauteng.I had black friends,neighbours and school mates as well as a black stepfather and brother.I was recognized as an equal in the community.I was also a victim of several crimes committed by black and white and judged their wrong doings,not their skin colour.I urge South Africans to try and understand the people that commit crime,see where it is coming from.Are they desperate?Hungry?Revengeful?No other options?Ask yourselves these questions.The very stuff that will bring changes to South Africa lies internally and within each individual.Socialise,learn to speak your area's native language and breakdown these barriers.Then we will see economic growth and social advances.PEACE,LOVE AND UNITY.........Justin Gruindelingh

i am doing a porject on crime in south africa could you send more information on it please

People are stupid period. America is blessed that blacks and hispanics are not the majority, and that we are fairly well integrated. There are still the usual punks that walk like they gotta own the sidewalk because they're too lazy to work or look for work, and they spend their time moaning about hoe whity cheated them.
There are whitetrash punks, and there are black punks. Being half turkish, I get some derision from hardcore whites, but what I get from 'gangsta' blacks is pure exclusion even though I have a few black friends and know black professionals.
The fact remains that 95% of blacks walk around with some sort of chip on their shoulder that whatever they dont get in their
lives is a function of history, and not the fact that they are drunks or crack addicts.
I would leave South Africa in a second if I had to live in that hell, and I think twice about my
hatred for the capitalist rule of the US, because its obviously better to be ruled by
a frequently injust system than to be left to the
mercy of a bunch of filthy, uneducated scum mob. Maybe if blacks would focus on personal responsibility, and hispanics would pull all their catholic worship out of their asses, then white fascist protestants wouldnt
have the credibility of at least being able to construct and run decent societies where people can feel safe living. Arabs are all torqued out by human rights at the hands of the israelis and Americans, and what do they do in response? Behead innocent non-combatants on television. What a bunch of geniuses...I'm sticking with the people in charge, because arabs, nigs, and muslims are totally devoid of humanity and brains.

With people like American Bonus around, it would be easy to judge all white americans as a bunch of xenophobic, narrow-minded, intolerant, isolationist, media-drugged zombies. How can one make sense of an argument that begins 'people are stupid', then continues to preach some of the most ill-informed puke i have ever heard. Its seems this numbskull is blissfully unaware that making statements like 'arabs, nigs and muslims are totally devoid of humanity and brains' only serves to make him/her sound like the stupid one. Do you realise AB that problems such as drug addiction, unemployement and post-apartheid South Africa are never simple black and white issues, as much as you would like them to be? Try reading up on things before you end up regurgitating some righteous bullshit, Americans have got a bad enough name as it is with that terrorist Bush in charge.

I am a single South African mother and love my country, but can no longer wish to live there as I fear for the safety of my son. It is not racial issues that I have, it is issues with the violent crimes that happen in South Africa. Life is becoming worthless and it is scary.
I grew up when apartheid was around, but was an innocent child, so knew nothing of it! I only really started to learn about it in highschool. It is not that we as a nation should try sweep over it and pretend that it never happened, but we should learn to deal with it. Blame is being passed around to people who really had nothing to do with it. It is time to move on!
And I am sorry but desperate, hungry, revengeful or feeling like you have no other options is not a reason to take anothers life. Life is a precious gift, not to be taken by us mere mortals. I understand the desperation, but it is NO excuse.
South African is a beautiful country, with heaps of culture and many interesting races and people. It would be a dream come true to see it work.

I am a white South African have lived all of my 36 years in South Africa. It is a beautiful country and yes, we all know that it is ravaged by crime. I agree with VAH that poverty and desperation is no excuse for crime, but unfortunately it is a reason. Being a victim of crime myself, I unfortunately have to agree with some of what American Bonus says as well. South Africa has the added problem of racial hatred exacerbating the existing social problems. The main problem lies with the allocation of funds in SA. As soon as the SA government figures this out, the country may have a chance. Currently, it is only big business holding the country together. I do not have the time to wait for the SA government and am taking my family to where it is safer. Why must I and my family be punished for the sins of a few short sighted Afrikaners that ran the country while I was growing up?

Hi i am astudent duing my asimgnent I will like to know wha has ben done to reduce crime in S.A. aspecialy in K.Z.N

Lindokuhle there is a South African Police Services site: www.saps.gov.za
I have no idea how much it'll help, but you can try. It is full of stastics etc.
Good Luck!

a man has being killed recently for no reason, just because he was driving his laxarious car

I am doing a project on south africa can you send me more information on actions taken to prevent crime and if it was successful or unsuccessful.
thank you Gary

To Gary: Your project will be a very short one, as the government has done nothing. In fact they seem to encourage crime as part of the redistribution of wealth.

I dont understand. Black pople were treated badly under Apartheid and now, under the ANC, white people are being badly treated. Have i got this right???

Your figures are TOTALLY out -- I listened to a South African born journalist interviewed on an American talk radio show, CINDY-LOU DALE. She has written many articles on South African politics, one was titled THE MANDELA MYTH. This lady tells it like it is. My wife was beside herself when she heard the courage his woman showed. Read her stories to get the real statistics!

The figures for farm murders is now up to 1788 since 1994.

I think one farmer killed for no reason is one too many don't you think...especially if that farmer is your nearest and dearest and even if not, no-one deserves to be tortured for hours. No baby deserves to be wrapped in newspaper and set alight! It does not matter about the sins of of the ignorant. Human life deserves to be preserved, not destroyed.

I am a South African working on a short term job in Australia. Some how you always learn more of your own country when you are in a other, or shall I say you spot the differences. I only hope that someone important in the "outside" world reads all the comments posted here and actually looks into it. South Africa gives this perception of a new reformed country full of hope and promise... I live there...I am looking for this promise and i find myself running for my life. This is not a Black and White...when will everyone get...the racism days are long gone but it is brought up over and over by people who have never lived in the country...people who has never felt how it feels to have your life on the line for your wallet or something as petty as that. This is about our useless goverment that made a bunch of promises to get votes and now cant deliver.. cant expect that much from a goverment that has to get there speaches written for them. Its simple...the problim is that in South africa...crime does pay...lets look at this.. you rob a shop...if you get away you have money and if you get cought you go to jail where you have free education and food. The people living in informal settlements have it better of going to jail cause it is a better life and murders get set free in any ways... I understand that some of them might be hungry and for that reason I dont mind the steeling but then why kill? Why kill and rape 6 month old babies? We need help in south africa, we need the world to teach our goverment how to control crime and how to deel with acts os violents. If there is someone out there that can make us all heard, help us out cause we are all forced to silence by a goverment that doesnt even have a education and is filled with coruption.

You'll find the truth about South african crime here:

http://www.crimexposouthafrica.org

Unfortunately these comments are a sad reflection on some of the realities of life in South Africa. I grew up during the apartheid era (born 1951)and remember some of the indignities suffered as a 'Colored' South African. I was still one of the lucky ones, in that I lived most of my adult life as 'White'. It is not too difficult to understand the bitterness felt by many Blacks in South Africa. Especially those who suffered under apartheid. This does not include those who claim to have suffered under apartheid, but in fact, lived outside the country or those who are even too young to know anything about it. This however is no excuse for the high crime rate in the country. The police are grossly underpaid as are most essential services people. Why would someone place their life in jeopary for the pittance they receive? So until something is done about this situation crime will pay those who are obviously making a good living at it.
People are so conditioned, that much of what is taking place, is written off as "that's the way it is". We have a beautiful country and the current state of affairs is sad. The point is, that if possible, take your family and go somewhere that you feel has a better life to offer. For those that can't afford to relocate - my sympathies. I don't have any ready or easy answers. I have left and am living in the Caribbean until the situation changes and I feel more confident of a good life, for myself, in South Africa

http://www.saps.gov.za/statistics/reports/crimestats/2006/_pdf/provinces/rsa_total.pdf

Attached are the latest available crime stastics that are available. Sad, considering that many crimes are not reported so the figures are much worse than those reported.