State of Violent Crime in South Africa Post 1994

Abstract

One of the most disturbing problems in South Africa is the state of violent crime in the country, which has accompanied the democratic order. Over time, operational strategies and legal reforms have been introduced by police leadership and government to reduce crimes in general. However, not much has been achieved with the reduction of violent crime. The purpose of this paper is to analyze the state of violent crime in South Africa post 1994, find explanations and to make recommendations for the reduction thereof. The case study design was used to obtain primary and secondary data using literature study and the experience of the researcher. Explanations indicate that the state of violent crime may be attributable to the ongoing transformation since 1994, unemployed youth, urbanization, recidivism, drugs, guns, and the different policing styles adopted by police leadership. The researcher recommends the need for public education and partnership policing for the reduction of violent crimes in South Africa.