Lizette Lancaster | ISS Africa

Even so, police and other state security agencies must be ready to proactively prevent and contain disruption.

Partnerships with the private sector and a focus on intelligence-guided investigations are vital.

In both the policing and violence prevention spheres, ample evidence exists about what works and where to start.

Intelligence-driven policing backed by dedicated investigation units and forensics can curb soaring levels of both crimes.

This report sets out why immigrants can’t be blamed for social and economic problems in South Africa.

Social media owners and law enforcement need to curb the abuse of cyberspace to incite violence.

The state needs to act urgently to address the increase in xenophobic groups across South Africa.

The crime has spiked in recent months, but kidnappings for ransom are a small part of the overall problem.

With elections a week away, attacks on ward councillors are bad for democracy and reflect the country’s organised crime problem.

The latest trends suggest a violent future for the country, which still has no national plan to tackle murder.

A concerted effort is needed to prevent attacks on foreign-born migrants ahead of this year’s local elections.

Statistics on the motives for kidnapping and who is most at risk are both surprising and concerning.