South Africa, despite being the most developed country in Africa, grapples with alarmingly high rates of violent crime. Recent statistics reveal a concerning reality: an average of 75 killings and 400 robberies with aggravating circumstances occur every day. This grim situation has led to a crisis where the South African police seem to be losing ground, prompting those who can afford it to seek protection from the booming private security industry.
Thamsanqa Mothobi, a resident of Johannesburg, shared his harrowing experience of being carjacked and taken to an informal settlement. "They had guns and demanded the PIN codes for my apps. They increased the withdrawal limits in my accounts and emptied them. I was only released in the early hours of the morning," he recounted, highlighting the brutal reality faced by many South Africans.
It’s an all-too-common story in South Africa, a country that in the past year has seen an average of 75 killings and 400 robberies with aggravating circumstances every day, according to official statistics.
Violent crime in South Africa has spiked over the past decade after a period when it decreased substantially.
The South African Police Service’s (SAPS) annual crime statistics show that in the past decade, kidnappings increased by 264% from 4 692 in 2014/15 to 17 061 in 2023/24. From July to September, the latest period for which there are official crime statistics, a daily average of 50 kidnappings were reported to police - up by nearly 8% compared to the same period in 2023.
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South Africa's homicide rate in 2022-2023 was 45 per 100,000 people, compared with a rate of 6.3 in the United States and around 1 in most European countries.
The murder rate fell in the years after the end of apartheid, reaching a low point around a decade ago.
In recent years, South Africa has witnessed a disturbing surge in violent crimes-chief among them, vehicle hijackings. Once perceived as sporadic or opportunistic crimes, hijackings have evolved into a widespread and highly coordinated epidemic, occurring an average of 65 times each day according to recent crime statistics.
The 2023/24 annual crime statistics revealed a continued increase in aggravated robbery, though at a slightly lower rate (2.9%) compared to the 10% increase the previous year.
Carjacking stabilised with 22 735 cases or 63 cases a day. This amounts to a 78% increase in the past decade.
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Unfortunately, kidnapping is the one exception, with a further 7.6% increase compared to the same period in 2023.
South Africa's cash-in-transit highway robberies - BBC Africa
The Rise of Private Security
Experts have warned that the South African police are losing the battle against crime - and that has led those citizens who can afford it to turn to a booming private security industry.
"It's not getting better, it is getting worse," said Anton Koen, a former police officer who now runs a private security firm that specializes in tracking and recovering hijacked and stolen vehicles. "The murder rate is the highest in 20 years, violence is getting worse because our justice system seems to be failing us, the public of South Africa."
There are more than 2.7 million registered private security officers in the country, according to the Private Security Industry Regulatory Authority (PSIRA), making South Africa's security industry one of the largest in the world. That compares with fewer than 150,000 police officers for the country's 62 million people.
Figures from PSIRA show that the number of security businesses in South Africa grew by 43% in the past decade, while the number of registered security officers has increased by 44%.
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More than 580,000 private security guards are currently active and employed - more than the police and army combined - according to figures from PSIRA.
Private security companies earn a monthly fee for patrolling neighborhoods and providing armed response to their clients' alarm systems. They also offer tracking and car recovery services, which often results in them getting involved in high-speed chases of car thieves and hijackers.
Associated Press journalists accompanied private security officers on patrols around suburbs in east Johannesburg, where it was evident they were performing the role of the police in many circumstances.
During one of the patrols, Koen sped to where two suspects had been apprehended by other private security personnel after a vehicle they were traveling in was linked to burglaries and armed robberies. The suspects were handed over at a nearby police station, which typically happens to those apprehended by security firms.
A feature of life in South Africa is the sheer number of private security officers, who patrol in vehicles bearing their company logos, and in some areas almost every home and building has a sign showing which firm it relies on. They now outnumber their police counterparts.
Lizette Lancaster, of South Africa's Institute for Security Studies, says there has been a "private securitisation of public spaces" in some areas.
Koen was armed with an assault rifle and wore a bulletproof vest as he patrolled in his response vehicle, which is fitted with cameras and has car registration identification technology that can pick up suspected stolen vehicles.
Like other vehicles with a private security subscription, the stolen car had a small electronic tracker secreted within, which robbers desperately try to locate, knowing armed teams can accurately pursue as long as it remains intact.
After a chase into the south of the city, the team spotted two men running from the car's possible location and they were apprehended at gunpoint.
Police were called and came to get the car - after it was found by the security team.
But staying safe and avoiding crime is another example of the stark inequality that afflicts South Africa, as only the wealthy few can afford private security services. The majority of South Africans must still rely on an under-resourced and struggling police force.
"People with money make up a very small percentage of South Africa. That means that the vast majority of South Africans don't really benefit from this security industry," said Chad Thomas, an organized crime expert who has worked more than 30 years in law enforcement and now in private security. "If you live in a traditional township environment, or if you live in an informal settlement, it is few and far between that you will see security patrols in those areas because they don't have paying customers."
Even those who are lucky enough to have private protection can't always be sure of safety. In November, a South African government minister and her bodyguards were held up at gunpoint on a highway and robbed of money and their cellphones. The two bodyguards were made to lie on the ground while the robbers ransacked their vehicle and stole their police-issued guns.
It was a reminder that as long as violence is so prevalent in South Africa, everyone is in danger.
South Africa's murder rate (annual murders per 100,000 people) spanning the century from 1915 to 2023.
Factors Contributing to Crime
Thomas, like many, ties the high levels of violent crime in South Africa to anger over the country's deep problems of poverty. "We have seen this anger playing out in violent acts," Thomas said. "So, what should be a normal robbery where someone gets pointed (at) with a firearm and their belongings are taken ... becomes an opportunity for the robber to vent frustration and anger on that innocent victim."
Crime levels have been attributed to poverty, problems with delivery of public services, and wealth disparity. The Institute for Security Studies also highlighted factors beyond poverty and inequality, particularly social stress from uncaring environments in early childhood and subsequent lack of guardianship.
In February 2007, the Centre for the Study of Violence and Reconciliation was contracted by the South African government to carry out a study on the nature of crime in South Africa.
The study pointed to several key factors:
- The normalisation of violence.
- A subculture of violence and criminality, ranging from individual criminals who rape or rob, to informal groups or more formalised gangs.
- Those involved in the subculture are engaged in criminal careers and commonly use firearms, with the exception of Cape Town; where knife violence is more prevalent.
- The vulnerability of young people due to inadequate child-rearing, followed by poor guardianship and youth socialisation.
- The consumption and abuse of alcohol is a demonstrable cause or contributing factor in many violent crimes including murder, attempted murder, assault, gender-based assault and rape cases.
Cash-In-Transit (CIT) Heists
The brash confidence of violent criminals is vividly illustrated by the very public phenomenon of cash-in-transit hijacks, known here simply as CIT.
Security vans carrying money are rammed off busy daytime roads by deliberate attacks with vehicles, with guards set upon by heavily armed men who use bombs to blow open safes.
Wahl Bartmann, head of security firm Fidelity Services Group, says the gangs are "like a terrorist group."
"It's been very military organised, well executed, and if you see the way that they plan these robberies, it's very difficult for our teams to stop that."
He wants more help from government, saying CIT services are essential - they pay social grants every month, and move cash for banks and retailers.
Fifteen of the company's guards were killed last year during robberies.
South African taxi operators regularly engage in turf wars to control lucrative routes. A high number of murders of taxi owners or drivers have not resulted in either arrests or successful prosecutions, and this has been blamed on vested interests of police officials.
Cash-in-transit (CIT) heists have at times reached epidemic proportions in South Africa. These are well-planned operations with military-style execution, where the robbers use stolen luxury vehicles and high-powered automatic firearms to bring the armored car to a stop.
Some 44% of CIT attacks occur while money personnel are on foot from the vehicle to the client's place of business. In 2006 there were 467 reported cases, 400 in 2007/2008, 119 in 2012, 180 in 2014, 370 in 2017, 116 in 2018 and 90 in 2019.
Arrest rates are generally low, but it was believed that the 2017/2018 spate of heists in Limpopo, Mpumalanga, North West and Gauteng were brought to an end with the arrest of Wellington Cenenda. Several gangs believed to be part of his crime syndicate were also rounded up. These crimes are often perpetrated by ex convicts who are willing to commit extreme violence.
Kidnapping Statistics
In 2022, there were 4,028 cases of kidnapping reported in South Africa. Kidnapping in South Africa occurs for various reasons, mainly vehicle hijacking and robbery-related, with about 27.5% of reported kidnappings being related to robberies and 18% from hijackings. The majority of kidnappings occur in the nation's urban centers; by 2022-23, there had been 15,343 reported cases of kidnapping in South Africa, Gauteng - where Pretoria and Johannesburg are located - having the largest share of those occurrences.
SAPS disclosed that in the past decade, kidnapping prevalence has risen by 264%. Gauteng reported 51% of kidnapping occurrences.
The rise of kidnapping rate has been attributed to a set of factors by SAPS. One such factor is the occurrence of armed aggravated robberies, including carjackings, and armed robberies at residences or office spaces.
On 18 October 2021, the South African Police Service (SAPS) created The Crime Intelligence National Anti-Kidnapping Task Team; the specialized team was formed due to an increase in kidnapping cases in which victims were held for ransom.
Truck Hijackings
In FY 2023, there were ***** truck hijackings in South Africa, which was higher compared to the previous year. Over the observed period, truck hijackings have more than doubled since FY 2012, which recorded *** incidences.
Criminals also target freight trucks, courier vehicles and the lucrative goods that are transported in them. A blue light gang may induce a truck driver to stop, or criminals in unmarked vehicles may pull up along the truck to convince the driver that something is wrong with the tires or load.
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