paulry

How will torching a community hall, library and clinic improve the lives of these protesters?

http://www.iol.co.za/business/news/p...7#.Uv0jVfmSwpk

Alfresco

I can't and won't but that is the mindset over there, sadly.

paulry

Sadly, that mindset is only the tip of the iceberg

ededed

Chap was killed 2kms from my house in a road rage incident this morning. Apparently a biker and a car had an argument, biker confronted the driver and was shot twice for his troubles. The traffic lights have been out for 4 days at a major intersection nearby - so hour long delays were common. Meanwhile, the police were 500m away nailing people for being on cellphones.

And this on the anniversary of Reeva Steenkamp's murder (sorry, "accidental shooting").

At least Zuma painted a rosy picture at the state of the nation address last night, so that's ok. I was worried for a while.

Alfresco

That sucks big time.

Why are the S.A. police not focussing on REAL crime (rhetorical Q). S.A. is not a first world country, but the police think it is.

ededed

The police are so efficient here, they often get to the scene of a crime before it's actually happened

Alfresco

Could be an side job, maybe???

MartynK

It won't, but the ANC lit the fuse with their campaign to make the country ungovernable back in the 70s and 80s. It's also difficult to prevent this sort of thing when people believe that violent, destructive, protests get results.

The UK also has a long history of rioting, going back into the medieval period, and most recently in 2011. The poll tax riots contributed to Thatcher’s fall, and the tax was scrapped shortly after that. It's not just SA.

paulry

Meanwhile the shit has been flying in Cape town.

Steyner2011

Unfortunately the police here are understaffed and do not have the resources. Average time for cops to get to scene of a crime is 10 mins. However where I live we have a very efficient neighborhood watch that are on scene within 2 mins of a call out. They work very closely with Saps and it's normally the watch that get to you first.

Tegwyn

How about under skilled and always open to a bribe.

Steyner2011

That too unfortunately.......

paulry

That's very true. Among the security estates on the west coast, the estates with the lowest crime rates are those which have dispensed with guards at their gates in favour of electronic swipe cards.

MartynK

The guards are usually the weakest link in the access control system, but it's a thankless job. Most of them are poorly trained, badly paid, work long hours and are often abused if there's any delay in gaining entry. Bribery is a problem too, and they're vulnerable to intimidation.

My son and his family live in a gated/walled development in Joburg and I went there for dinner last night. The guard couldn't get in touch with them on the intercom and asked if they were expecting me. I said yes, told him I was the resident's father and offered to call him on my cellphone, but he said it was "OK" and opened the gate for me. I don't suppose I fit the stereotype of a criminal, but he broke the SOPs. The guy was trying to be helpful though, and neither my son or I have any intention of reporting this.

ededed

+1.

The intercom hasn't worked in a year at my complex and the guards let anyone in - if they pass the "probably looks ok" test.

The police are corrupt because they are also badly paid - but this is massively compounded by the fact they are poorly managed, unsupervised and led by senior officers who are also incompetent, corrupt and lazy - who are in turn managed by government who wrote the book on it.

The fish is rotten at the head. But people still vote ANC.