Monograph 14: Stolen Opportunities: The Impact of Crime on South Africa`s Poor

Crime is an increasing concern for South Africa’s citizens and government. Despite the prominence of criminality as an issue, surprisingly little is known about it as a phenomenon. South Africa has some of the highest rates of violent crime in the world, yet very little can be said about how these crimes occur, where they occur and whom they affect. This has significant implications not only for understanding the causes of crime, but also for implementing appropriate policies to combat it.

To date, research and policy relating to crime control and prevention have been narrowly focused, with an emphasis on wealthier suburban residents and business groups that are more likely to lobby around the issue of crime. Yet crime is not primarily concentrated in major metropolitan areas, where it arguably has the greatest visibility.

In fact, parts of the country that are not generally considered to have a significant crime problem, such as the Northern Cape, record higher crime levels than other parts of South Africa when incidents are measured in relation to population size.

The impact of crime on millions of South Africans with limited access to the media, pressure groups or government is often overlooked. It is these people — the country’s poor — who arguably bear the brunt of high crime levels.

In terms of gross domestic product per capita, South Africa is relatively wealthy. However, most of the country’s inhabitants are either extremely poor or remain continually vulnerable to falling into poverty.

Researching how these communities are affected by crime is complicated by the shortage of reliable statistics and information. Given the limited available data, this study sought to supplement national and regional statistics with qualitative research based largely on interviews conducted in specific areas of the Northern Cape and Eastern Cape that are affected by crime in different ways.

While there has been some debate about the relationship between poverty — or, more accurately, inequality — and crime, no single South African study has previously explored how crime affects the poor.

Acknowledgement

This monograph is based on an input report prepared for a major study on poverty and inequality, coordinated by Data Research Africa and funded by the British Overseas Development Administration, the United Nations Development Programme and the World Bank.

The study will culminate in the forthcoming Report on Poverty and Inequality in South Africa.