Violent crime in South Africa dipped slightly over the past year but still remained at levels that made the country one of the most dangerous states in the world outside of a war zone,police data released on Thursday showed. The country's murder rate dropped by 6.5 per cent in 2010/2011 but still ranked near the top in the world with about 44 people killed every day,while about 181 people a day were raped or sexually assaulted. The high crime rate has tarnished the reputation of Africa's biggest economy,been a drag on foreign investment,made it more difficult to recruit high-level talent from abroad,retain talent at home and added costs to businesses for security and insurance. The crime statistics confirm our assertion that indeed the tide against crime is turning and that police,joined by society are gaining the upper hand against vicious criminals,Police Minister Nathi Mthethwa said. Victory against crime is now an achievable goal. This goes against the critics and sceptics who say this is impossible,he said. Experts say South Africa may never make a significant dent in its high crime rate until it fixes the inequality in economy that causes the country to have one of the highest wealth gaps in the world between the haves and have-nots. Successive governments have pledged to cut crime,putting more police on the street and launching high profile campaigns that have done little to reduce the violence. Massive unemployment,poverty,easy access to weapons and the lingering effects of the racial oppression of apartheid have been cited by as reasons for the persistently high levels of violent and property crime. Until we actively begin to address these conditions,we will see fluctuations in our crime levels but I do not expect to see our situation drastically improve until we find a way of dealing with these deeper rooted,social and economic problems,said Johan Burger,a specialist on crime at the Institute for Security Studies. The cost of security is a huge consideration for most business people and from an investment perspective. There is no doubt that crime is costing us a lot in terms of finances and resources and potential development,he said. South Africa's per capita murder rate is among the 10 highest in the world with only central and south American countries plagued by the narcotics trade having comparable murder figures. While South Africa saw small drops in the year ending March 31,2011 in murder,attempted murder and house robberies,there was an increase in rapes,drug-related crimes and explosions at automated teller machines by criminals seeking the cash inside.
