This site is Positively South African
posted by Addy @ 10:11 am
Friday, July 07, 2006
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- Name: Addy
- Location: Cape Town, Western Cape, South Africa
An 'almost there' student without a clue.
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78 Comments:
Hi Adam. My colleague and I were just talking about Neil Watson and we agree that he is selfish and he needs help. My personal view is that Mr Watson does not believe in the new South Africa. He will throw everything at this fledgling democracy in order to sabotage it. He wants to destroy it and once his objectives have realised, which is unlikely, emigrate. I sympathise with everyone who has been affected by crime but a destructive response to pain caused by crime won't help with the healing process, it's likely to aggravate it. What would help instead is a contribution towards assisting the victims and going into those communities where criminals are known to hide and plead with them to speak out about elements in their midst who are known to lead a criminal lifestyles. I thank you.
I think Mr Watson is living in a dream world. If he wants a reality check he should go meet Jamie Bulger's killers in the UK or what about the dude that killed those backpackers in Australia. Maybe he could go to the US and pick on a slightly mental postal worker! There are very few countries in the world that are not affected by crime and corruption. Human nature is what it is. Jealousy and greed are traits displayed by us all, albeit in varying degrees. I think Mr Watson needs to travel the world a bit and get his head out of his arse!
A man was killed and robbed of his 1988 Toyota in Durban on Friday as he was leaving his house to go to work, KwaZulu-Natal police said.
Captain Gugu Sabela said 64-year-old Sewnandan Barath was pulling out of the driveway of his Sea Cow Lake home when two men in a white car blocked his exit.
One of them then shot Barath in the neck. He managed to get out of his car and attempted to run into his garden, but was unable to open the electric gates.
Sabela said one of the two men then jumped into Barath's Corolla and drove off. The other man drove away in their car.
Barath collapsed at his gate and died shortly after paramedics arrived.
Sabela said he was the father of a police officer based at Durban Central police station. - Sapa
Hey, kid. This is only one article from one of today's papers. Nowhere do you read anything positive about SA. Is this the type of country you are trying to promote? If it is, then you are as bad as them. As for people who 'moan and do nothing', what have you done lately except post a comment. Are you a cop/security guard or even reservist? I didn't somehow think so. It's people like you lot that should go and find a rose tinted paradise to live in until people that are prepared to get as dirty as it takes to get our country back, have done what you are too lily livered to do.
I predict that this blog will only stay up until Addy or a member of is family is raped, murdered or affected by crime in some form or another. I find this blog an insult to the memory of those who have died because of a government's inability to provide a safe country for all. Will you people please wake up and take a look round!!!
Good to have people stand up for what they believe in. Also a big thank you to those who migrate cause that leaves more jobs for true South Africans. My advice to those negative souls, "Move out and we, who believe, will tackle our coutries problems, positively". To the deceived soul,Mr Wat...something,if you don't have something nice to say about MY(our) country...shut up! The Govenment is not God that they can be everywhere at the sametime, we as South Africans should unite and assist them in running the country, that's what public hearings and addresses are made for in Parliament, also that is why they are called public "servants".
Everyone is missing the point here in my opinion! We are not talking about democracy etc...We are talikng about "SAFETY & SECURITY". Crime has spiralled out of control. All the "concerned" people of South-Africa want to do is initiate a change to combat crime & make this country live up to it's potential. What is wrong with that? We need to raise attention.
Whoever wrote that last comment is an blantantly ignorant idiot.
People do, amazingly, migrate for other reasons that crime. You know, for such things like career, dreams, family etc. And even more strangely, these people are often positive ambassadors for South Africa, and are often investors in property etc.
>> Also a big thank you to those who migrate cause that leaves more jobs for true South Africans
I assume you must be of true African as opposed to European origin.
>> "Move out and we, who believe, will tackle our coutries problems, positively".
Are you Charles Nqakula??? Please stop making stupid comments. The problem needs to be tackled, but not whilst fools like yourself are supporting the government for non-performance.
Hi
You obviously haven't experienced crime... I had a gun held to me... my possessions that I worked hard to obtain just taken away from me and my family!
I live and walk in fear! Scared to even step outside my gates for fear of my life!
Criminals are a reality! Don't hide that!
Hi Adam.
I think its great that you are positive and believe in RSA.
However, Neil Watson started the site not because of hatred or racial biasis but out of desperation for a safer RSA.
My personal view is that you both have similar intentions but very different approaches.
Heres to a better RSA for all.
You are so living in a dream world fantasy dude! When I saw you are only a student it so made sense - i used to be as ignorant as you. Funny how you are trying to promote the very country that will screw you over. No one wants to hear your crap when we have real problems.
Adam, please contact support#cheaphost.co.za i will hook you up with a free domain name and some free hosting space.
A 20 year old kid with a website. What have you experienced in life?
I am glad that at last we all have a chance to say something about the level of crime in this country. Like America, South Africa is faced with an enormous challenge of eradicating all forms of atrocities, including economic exploitation of the poorest. It is therefore noticeable that we need controvesial people like Mr Watson. For, these people help us communicate our frustrations. Do you really think that without Mr Watson, people would have spent time writing letters and e-mails to the government, and even to this web side? So we need irrational people like Mr William, in order for us to have rational discussions about issues that affect us as the nation. We should however, stop lamenting or fueling this war with words only. It is important that we also come up with better and feasible solutions for our problems. For, the government alone cannot fight this war. This is a war of the millions, it needs everybody's attention. This war does not choose colour, and it has nothing to do with political affiliation. So people should stop identifying problems only, but they should also suggest practical solutions.
Its a real pitty!!! I love South Africa and its peaople so much, i yearn for the vibe but I am lucky to be living in bland Australia where i can walk saftley at night and not worry about crime... my kids will be lucky to live a life free of worrying about rape and murder on daily basis... its a pitty.
Hi Addy
We at TrafficSynergy.com Affiliate Network believe in the future of South Africa too.
In showing our commitment to those who further the prospects of our nation, we would gladly sponsor the purchase and hosting of your domain.
Please contact us at supportSA@TrafficSynergy.com to get you and the country the respect you deserve!
Looking forward to helping our country grow, positively!
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TrafficSynergy.com Affiliate Network
Come on man, you are seriously deluded if you think that SA is in a good state or even heading in the right direction. The government is full of racists and people who dont care about their own fellow citizens.
The president has gone on record to say that HIV does not cause AIDS, every man and his dog knows that it does. With this type of metality do you really think that he gives any thought to the many people dying as a result of a combination of greed, incompetence and revenge. Yes revenge, thats why so many white people, tourists included are murdered, raped and affected by crime everyday. The ciminals are getting their revenge for the treatment dished out by the apartheid government.
No one in the goverment is interested in reconcilliation, if they were they would bring back the death penalty. A while ago the citizens in Gauteng began putting up booms to protect their neighbourhood then when the criminals complained the government promptly passed legislation saying that it is against human rights to prevent access to a neighbourhood by people who dont live there. If you dont live there why do you need to go there, did they have official business, were they representing a registered business, no they need to go there to murder, rape, steal and destroy lives.
Instead of creating jobs for their citizens the government prefers to give R1 000 000 or however much to Haiti to celebrate some holiday they have.
I could go on forever but I wont because it will take too long and your server doesnt have the capacity to handle as much text a I have to write.
You GO Andy. Today day, a year ago, bombs tore London apart. Again. I'd rather take my chances in glorious South Africa, thank you very much!
For all those that think crime is a South African phenomenon please wake up. No one tells you that in London you can get your eye stabbed out for wearing a SA rugby sweater. Nobody likes crime and everybody should do there bit to discourage it. This guys website isnt there to bring attention to crime but it seems more like an attempt to hurt our country further. And that coming from a fellow South African is just sick.
Granted we have problems but this is not the way to go about solvign it. For every tourism job lost because of this guy, that is potentially another unemployed person on the street having to resort to crime to pay the bills. So this guy is just trying to make things worse. If SA was a ship I would make this guy walk the plank for mutiny.
I challenge every person who has posted to this blog to do the following:
Go find a family with no income and find them some form of employment. Even if it is temporary. With over 100 comments, that's 100 families, x4 people per family = 400 less people who have a reason to look to crime.
We all here can afford internet connections- at Telkom rates, that means we can afford to help out. Translate your hot air into action.
For all those that think crime is a South African phenomenon please wake up. No one tells you that in London you can get your eye stabbed out for wearing a SA rugby sweater. Nobody likes crime and everybody should do there bit to discourage it. This guys website isnt there to bring attention to crime but it seems more like an attempt to hurt our country further. And that coming from a fellow South African is just sick.
Granted we have problems but this is not the way to go about solvign it. For every tourism job lost because of this guy, that is potentially another unemployed person on the street having to resort to crime to pay the bills. So this guy is just trying to make things worse. If SA was a ship I would make this guy walk the plank for mutiny.
I believe we all have the responsibility to solve the problems our country is faced with and crime is no exception.The question we need to ask Mr Watson is"what do you intend to do with the gruesome pictures and very sad stories that are sent by those affected by crime?Don't you think it will be nice if you say that we as South Africans are working very hard to curb the criminal activities that are affecting us as well as the tourists.Remember that New York once had the same problem,so it goes to show that all is not lost.
A pessimist is an optimist with experience. I agree with Neil: You must be living in lala-land! This website will turn out to be a mud-slinging contest. Ignorant kids like you are the first to leave the country when crime hits you ONCE. I am leaving at the end of the year. For every sane person leaving the country, the ratio of criminals vs victim increases. Enjoy SA, we will be watching from afar. SB
South Africa is an amazing and beautiful country and I love it here. I must note though that through the countless experiences of crime myself and my family have endured I cannot help but feel like a prisoner in my own home. I live in a secure complex, have an alarm, security bars and gates, electric fencing etc and feel paranoid when I drive alone or at night. I am scared of coming home alone after dark even once i'm in my own garden. We are all being turned into victims. We have no way of fighting back and sadly when police do they're ambushed and murdered like animals. The appathy in this country leaves so much to be desired. I believe that it can all change. If we start by not accepting the "petty" laws that are broken people will become more aware of their actions - if I can't get away with that, maybe someone won't let me get away with the next thing... Look at Taxi's and now general "pig face" members of the public who come charging down the emergency lanes or drive on pavements on republic rd (randburg) in their cars. They all show a blatant disregard for all other people.
Why don't the criminals start raping and murdering the government minister's families? Crime will soon be put on top priority. I guess it is very hard for a South African criminal to murder a minister or member of his family whilst they are in Germany watching the Soccer World Cup at tax payers expense.
South Africans fought against the evil and powerful Apartheid government.I don't know what makes Neil Watson think that South Africa will not win against the MINORITY of social misfits(criminals
+extremists).In fact,individuals like Neil Watson are more of a danger to our blooming DEMOCRACY.South Africa is a beautiful country!
Well i've been a victim of crime and yes the crime rate in South Africa is out of control but whining about it and creating negative publicity is doing bugger all to solve the problem. Maybe Neil Watson should leave and get mugged or suicide bombed overseas !!!
This country is a beacon of hope for its citizens and is a shining light for the african continent. 12 years since the burial of apartheid is a short time to celebrate but we are getting there. There will always be negative people but our positives will see us through against the odds and doomsdayers. Crime is one of the social ills that needs to tackled, not by the government alone but by all who love this country. we have a great future in this country even beyond 2010.
Long Live South Africa for all
So here we have two opposing views on one topic. South Africa my country, our country.
My family have been living in this country for seven generations, around 300 years.
Around the same time the Zulu and Xholoza speaking peoples moved down from Zimbabwe into
east South Africa. And even though I look European, I am an African. An Afrikaner.
In this New South Africa we are all living now, I believe we all suffer and are oppressed under
the rule of crime. There is no single community who are isolated from crime.
And due to the demographics of this country it is a fact that most violent crime is committed
by Black African Males. And that all the non black Africans (brown, yellow, pink) will in 85%
of the cases of violent crime be the victim of a black African criminal.
Now is that statement racist? Yes it is, because we do not live in a non-racial society!
Our State President Mr Mbeki has said we are moving towards a non-racial society.
When there are laws in place that benefit a certain race group to the detriment of another
then it is a racist society.
I understand that we need to undo the injustices of the past Apartheid era. I also agree to an
extent with the means that it is being done. But I want to ask when will it be finished?
Because I am experiencing more racial hatred now than ever in the past. This may be because I am
now on the receiving end of this hatred. And I believe that this may also be a attributing factor in the
prevalence of violent crime where people are killed/murdered and nothing or very little is stolen from them.
Farm murders does seem like genocide.
How does one fix this situation? Is it the governments fault? Can the government do something about it?
Is it America's fault that militant Muslims want to bomb them?
I believe that only thing a criminals are afraid of is being killed. They are not afraid of going to prison, half their friends are already there. So if the law that this government put into place could be changed and citizens could
defend themselves inside their homes with lethal force then some criminals may think twice before breaking in.
If the law that this government put into place could be changed to give the courts the ultimate punishment of
death by execution then violent criminals would be permanently removed from society.
If the law that this government put into place could be changed so that criminals do not have more human rights
than their victims. And that if you abuse another human beings rights you forfeit your own rights, then maybe it would
not pay to do crime in SA.
But I believe there is a bigger plan behind all this. The government wants us all to be tagged. So that we will all have
microchips implanted with our banking and personal identification on it. And we may only agree to this mass tagging process if we are afraid enough or fed up enough to accept a rice grain chip under our skin.
I believe that by 2008 we will start seeing this tagging taking place.
I will have to be done by 2010 if they want to control the movement of people in the mayor cities.
Will we then see a drop in crime? I doubt it because it will be the law abiding/tax paying citizens who will willingly
accept the chip/tag. And just like when the law abiding citizens handed in their firearms the criminals sat on their
assault rifles and pistols and waited until the only people who have firearms are the police and the criminals.
And we know how understaffed, underpaid, under skilled and under equipped the police is in SA.
Happy, Happy, Happy! We live in sunny South Africa!
Please bring your Dollars and Euros and come and see our rainbow nation bleeding and crying under a broad smile.
Welcome world!
37 year old
white male (the hated ones)
JHB
this letter is directed to MR watson ... Dear Sir .. u suck ..
if u had a patriotic bone in your body u would realise that this country is on the verge of greatness .. yes we have our problems and yes we have our leadership issues and yes our government is struggling and some of them are corrupt, but please point out ONE other country which is not going through the same thing ..
U obviously have a personal vendetta towards the leadership of our country and many other people do as well, but to publish a website like yours is truly digusting and inhumane to say the least, you are no different from those rappist and murderers out there, cos lets think about wut u doing here .. u rapping our country from economical stabilty and murdering our people who are expecting jobs during the 2010 efforts ... so if there's one person who should be behind bars ... It's u sir !
proudly South African
Those all u morons .
Age is just a number when it comes to reality. U morons think Addy should be as old as you to own a website and be positive about SA, well let me tell u to get your heads out of your asses.
Fuck off if u do't want to live here,Why cry foul with your leader being a water filled head Neil Watson.If he wanted to combat crime he could have done better than scare people from coming here ( which i belive he could have only done as a last resort after failing from other projects he may have tried ).He tried nothing , all he wants is money and name for himself. get out of SA dude ... I wish crime get to u soon so u can feel it.
As for those whom had felt crime before, u should be positive in trying to fight crime other than making things worse by standing by the side of this so called Neil Watson.Talk to your councillors, go to your municipal offices with proposals to combat this crime and i am sure u will get somewhere.But then if u feel u want to be negative, touch luck this things happen every where.There is no country without crime.
I am one person whom will also turn to crime ( if i lost my job as a result of this bad publicity ochestrated by some fools as you Neil )and would really discriminate when choosing my victims. Most whites still think of us blacks as dirt and if they get robbed , fuck they deserve it.
Why can't all races make friends.A white man who need to feel save must visit the black communities and help with social issues that contribute to crime so we can together and easily eradicate crime.
I was at the mall the other dy with my colleagues wher we ent to buy some food.While we were getting off, a Mercedez driven by a woman was parked next to where i parked, she quickly locked her doors and look at us strangely.This is some of the attitude we get from some of this people and if they get robbed fuck i will not sympathise.
Stop behaving as if u are untouchable.get to the ground and work with Black communities to alleviate porverty and i tell u crime will be minimised.There are prisons every part of the world which means there is crime , so giving a helping hand will definitely help.
I acknowledge the negative impact crime is having and i do not promote crime, but what Neil is doing is unthinkable.
this letter is directed to MR watson ... Dear Sir .. u suck ..
if u had a patriotic bone in your body u would realise that this country is on the verge of greatness .. yes we have our problems and yes we have our leadership issues and yes our government is struggling and some of them are corrupt, but please point out ONE other country which is not going through the same thing ..
U obviously have a personal vendetta towards the leadership of our country and many other people do as well, but to publish a website like yours is truly digusting and inhumane to say the least, you are no different from those rappist and murderers out there, cos lets think about wut u doing here .. u rapping our country from economical stabilty and murdering our people who are expecting jobs during the 2010 efforts ... so if there's one person who should be behind bars ... It's u sir !
proudly South African
At 20 I was also positive. Since then my car has been broken into numerous times, good friend killed in an attempted hijacking(he had to suffer and die slowly in hospital over a month), house broken into twice, wife attacked in a smash and grab. Now I live in a house that looks like fort knox. You'll wake up sometime soon.
kak flag
kak flag
I agree completely with
37 year old
white male (the hated ones)
JHB
Actually I think a few apartheid era policemen are what the current crime situation needs.
Neil Watson wanna be hero? Stop whining!!Use your website to put together an army of reservists and volunteers to assist our hard working SA Police Services to fight off the weak MINORITY in our society-criminals!!Your efforts will contribute in bringing in atleast R21Billion in SA in 2010,which equals more jobs and less crime.
Our crime levels are a result of history and socio-economic ills.
There is a lot that needs to be addressed and the first thing we need to do is change our mindset.
Some of the negative comments are from people with some serious race issues. Both black and white. Crime is committed by all and affects all.
The death penalty is not the answer. The only deterrent to crime is an effective police force and justice system.
Scaring tourists is not the answer. This does not solve the issue. Mr. Watson's site could have been more educational. Provide links to NGO's that are making a difference and provide information on how we can reduce the statistics.
I trust that you could do the same Addy. Everything is not rosy and we all have our part to play.
To those people happy abroad, good luck to you.
To those telling others to leave, that doesn't help either. We just need them to be more pro-active.
To those that "will come back to SA at a drop of a hat", do so.
A prayer for all of us:
God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change;
The courage to change the things I can;
and the wisdom to know the difference.
so, once again the stupid racial issue rears its ugly little sad head. "you must be real african not of european blood" writes one fool, although i'm suprised he can write his bonehead knuckles must be so near to dragging on the floor.
For god's sake, and the country's sake, get over yourself. the world does not owe you a living because you are black or once had a bad time. Millions of people world wide have had and continue to have crap lives, but they don't spend their lives abusing people for being non blacks.
is this really what mr mandela meant by equality?
maybe it's time we gave apartheid a second chance...
If I must decide between a Tsunami, a Tornado, or crime - I'll choose to defend myself against crime - that is why I live in South Africa!
I was a helluva lot safer living under apartheid, even though I hated it.
Neil Watson the KINGPIN of CRIME in SA!!! You've stripped off South Africans their livelihood in your efforts to scare away foreign investments and tourist cancellations.Less investment=less jobs=more crime.Ignorant idiot!
A Question for Not afraid to fight back (female)...... So enlighten us .. How are you 'get as dirty as it takes to get our country back'? Just so we know what to look out for?
Niel Watson appear to have disappear. How many people died in the world the last 12months due to Nature - we all have our laughter about people who do not seem to learn and stay in natural dissaster zones! Far more scary than crime - burgler bars do not work for a volcano!
Mangaliso DUdiziko?? Suspicious African name I must say.Ducking bullets from security police,tortured and permanently poisoned with teargas....safe??Honest living South Africans far outweigh the number of criminals.Let's rid of apathy and bitterness and Democratic South Africa will succeed in getting rid of the crime wave.
Neil Watson is one of those people who delight in things going wrong just so that they can smugly say "I told you so". He is more interested in sensationalism than solutions.
Deranged Mr. Watson's site shows exactly to what extent some shallow-minded, ill-mannered stupid people can go just to derail, undermine, ‘screw-up’, negate, and fcuk up the efforts and progress that this country is making, especially under the executive leadership of Africans (sic: Black people).
I’m particularly incensed ‘coz it’s been 11 years since there so called freedom has been gained (the supposed demolition of the institution of apartheid), but many “whities” still deem it cool and sane to look down upon ‘darkies’ – the race, the people, the efforts, the drive, the intellect, the successes, the big hearts, the courtesy, etc.
Never before in the history of Azania has any government – legitimate or not – attempted to build a sustainable country for all those who live in it, erect a constitution for the benefit and protection of all, attempt to make provision for basic services for all, eradicate “prejudiced, biased, racialist laws”, promote equality of genders and races, enhance economic growth and socio-political well-being, and put an end to the abuse, ridiculing, maiming, murder, abject poverty, and continuous humiliation of Black people than the African people have been doing. And dunder-head right-wing fcuker Watson deem it fit to continue where his grnd fathers Verwoed, Smith, and Pik left in trying to undermine the efforts made and the strides this country has made.
This site, as far as I’m concerned is purely and primarily as a result of typical stereo-typed and prejudiced thinking and views carried by some shallow white people like Watson. Did loyal and proud Germans erect websites to discourage people not to go Germany because of: the growing incidents of humiliation and beatings meted out to people of color; the ever-growing neo-Fascist, right-wing movement; the disturbing element of hooliganism and looting; etc.
Did Watson and his ill-informed supremacists do the same when the Rugby World Cup was staged in this country?
Why is the warning primarily (but silently) directed to Whities if he has a genuine concern about crime?
Who are the people who will continue suffering if no investment comes into the country?
Who suffers due to unemployment?
Who has no choice but to use those trains and taxis?
Who works for the White man from dawn to dusk and still earns peanuts for the work he does?
Who is the one who is degreed, trained but can not get employment as decent paying jobs are reserved for the elite race?
Who has been getting told and the message engraved in his mind for over 350 years that he is worthless, useless, and nothing but a tool for the White man?
Who is the one who has no income but still has to look after himself, and the loved ones around him?
Who gets paid peanuts and always has to protest to get what he deserves?
Who dies week in week out at the mines for a stupid pay?
My TIPS FOR AFRICAN TOURISTS, in lieu of the ones highlighted by short-dick Watson, are:
- Don’t visit white-owned shops in Vanderbiljpark, Pretoria, Capetown, you will be chased out and called kaf*fir
- Leave your kids at home when in , they will be offered sweets, lured to fancy White households and sodomized
- Keep your kids away from farms, they will be mistaken for baboons, shot at and killed
- Don’t overstay on farms, you will end up getting painted white from head to toe
- Don’t overstay at some game reserves as you will be thrown at lions
- Don’t freely associate with other “people”, they will mistake you for a thief and shoot?
- Check what you drink at other people’s pubs, as they will spit and wee into your drink
- Don’t drive a decent car around certain people, they will treat you like a thug and even report you to the police
- Don’t go to games of a specific but strange type of football, you will be spat at and bullied by drunk fat people
Maybe Neil should send his well informed guest to one of the little Islands in the Eastern Indian Ocean for holiday. Far easier to outswim a tsunami than to outran a crimenal!
My wife wanted to visit SA and I was reluctant in view of all the negative crime stories.
Having now visited, I can't wait to come again!
Yes, there's a problem, but the huge statistics generally relate to those in poorer areas.
You have to take sensible precautions when you're about, but no more than you do on the exotic Cote D'Azure in France. People there are constantly robbed at traffic lights etc. and you have to close and shutter your house when you go out.
When we were in Knysna we walked the street at night - there are plenty of places in the UK you can't do that.
That said, there is no denying the statistics, there's certainly a long way to go, but inequality and poverty are a major part of the problem. Boycotting the country won't help to solve it.
I found South Africa to be a friendly and exiting place to be, so the positives far outweigh the risks.
I eagerly look forward to my next visit.
Bonne Chance!
I fully agree with your mission; to address SA's terrible crime situation positively. I think your blog is an awesome idea, but you need to make some more topical posts.
We need to address more issues if there is to be a serious discussion - otherwise it is constrained to endless columns of comments from anonymous users, and we can't achieve consensus on anything.
Perhaps we could address the fact that crime in SA is actually at an unacceptably high level. Perhaps we could debate whether or not it would be better for FIFA to withdraw WC2010 from SA. There are many other issues as well, and all of them need to be addressed.
If you'd like any help - because this must be a huge job if it's to be done it properly - please let me know. (Post a comment on m blog with your email address. I'll email you and delete the comment so no-one can spam you.)
I see Mr. Watson have a small Donation link - normally I see donations as being another name for making money without being registerd as a business and paying the fees - so crime do seemed to pay for him!
This Watson guy NEEDS our help and PRAYERS, he's sick upstairs!!
Dave from France you will be more than welcome back in our country Best of luck to the finals of the World Cup.
DID ANYONE JUST READ ABOUT THE HIJACKINGS IN CAPE TOWN? Yes, it happened this morning, read on the IOL website! Four people were hijacked this morning in my suburb! Thank goodness for Watson! Murders in Western countries are far from the numbers we have here let's be realistic.
Positivity, nobility and, yes, humanity, are states of mind and heart and not a result of one's experiences.
To those unhappy, selfish souls who have given up responsibility for their outlook and allowed others' actions to change them (eg. 'adam is young and naive and as soon as something happens to him he will become sad and bitter like me), stop trying to ruin it for the rest of us!!!
Yes this country has a problem, and my heart breaks for every person who has been a victim of violent crime, but the logic of trying to isolate South Africans and prejudice the rest of the world against us escapes me as a viable solution.
You should be ashamed of yourselves!
Addy you are a asshole because you are to scared to face reality in this country crime is beating us. Wait until something happens to you or your family than you will feel how most crime victims felled. Catch a wake up
A week ago, I saw a somewhat mentally retarded man give food to a homeless person. Two days later I saw the very same man begging for money...Just goes to show how people who still have nothing are willing to give to others and make a their lifes better....And what do people who have luxuries such as internent and a home do, they complain a lot and don't realise how fortunate they are already. Our house was broken into, brothers car was broken into. Nobody in my family shot dead or anything like that. I consider myself real lucky. I still love my country and want it to be a better place but that does not mean that I happy with the way things are.
Might be a 20yr old with not much life experience to sound paranoid but I am glad I am not one of the people who think that South Africa is about to end as we know it because of crime...There is more to life than being scared!!!
To "EXPAT SA" -good riddance! We've been reading a lot about you in the media lately & about your racist attitudes.We know..... Apparently you are still stuck in the dark ages.We all hope you bought a oneway ticket because You definitely do not have a place in the Democratic South Africa.SA is a beautiful country and we are celebrating its diversity.I wonder if you've been to SA lately,I hope not but it is an illusion that SA will be anything like Zimbabwe.An illusion of people with brains stuck in the dark ages but funny enough are enjoying a 1st world lifestyle right here in SA.
Correct, the government and danny jordaan are going to line their pockets with WC money while millions are hungry and homeless. Nothing will please me more if we loose the World Cup to another country!!!
Watson's comments offend, not because they are false (they seem to be true... mainly), but because of the way they are presented.
Our lovely country has a long way to go in fighting crime (amongst other things), but it has already come a long way in many other fights.
I personally back the death penalty, but realise that it is perceived as incompatible with basic human rights (argument for another time). Death penalties do not necessarily make crims think twice- it makes sane, law-abiding people think twice about doing a crime that they prolly wouldn't do anyway.
We need to have better law enforcement (last budget gave a huge increase to this), and we need job-creation in huge bunches. Job creatkion will be more feasible with sound economics (more-or-less in place), better education, and more flexible labour. If a machine is cheaper to buy, and easier to get rid of than a person, guess what an employer will choose?
We cannot be utopian in our outlook, but we must also not slag the country off to the extent that Watson does. It is unproductive, and a mockery of the spirit that took us from apartheid to democracy.
Can anyone tell us what the objective of Mr Watson's website is?I am not saying it is useless because it is not. Just want to know what he hopes to achieve by having it? If it is to drive tourists away from RSA then he is doing us South Africans a disservice, but if it is to raise awareness to a ppoint wherby the Gov does something about crime then so be it
Just visited Watson's site and do think he is a tad over the top and nthat he omes on a bit strong but he is closer to the real situation in this country than some happy "all is well" website. Sometimes you have to LOVE your country enough to say the bad things. I don't think Watson would have put up his site just because bad things happen here, such things happen all over the world, but because NOTHING is being done about them! My local paper, THE Witness, this morning has two articles on cases where police have "no leads" on the murders committed but have yet to even question the folk who were around the scene at the time and this weeks later. The one murdered person was the wife of a local politician, has struggle credentials longer than most and was greatly esteemed in the community. If the resolution of her murder is of no interest to the police what hope has Joe Soap? How many folk in this world can say that they have had 11 family members murdered? I have a friend who can, and he lives here, not Croatia / Bosnia-Hertzigovina. He may still, as a farmer, have been experiencing ethnic cleansing. Maybe, just maybe, giving the victims an unhindered voice will spur more determined action, fewer words and empty legislation from the powers that be. This would be to the benefit of us all. If there is just a chance of this Watson gets my vote.
hey Rinaldo ,, Jamie = 1 ,, couple of back packers = +- 4 ,,, very close to 20000 hey !! = ur an Idiot!!
Men carrying handguns and AK-47 assault rifles, and thought to be wearing wigs as a disguise, have struck Cape Town driveways as people left for work, in a hijacking blitz that took no more than 10 minutes to carry out.
-- www.iol.co.za
BRING BACK APARTHEID-ERA POLICE !!!
Let us get these b@stards of the face of the planet.
Dude! THanks for the countet-action. THis Watson cat is unbelievably cross-wired!!! WATF is wrong with him? I think he just doesnt want to accept the change that gradually creeping in to this country.Mzansi is so much alive with possibilities,positives, hope and every day that dawns i get excited as we are writing history of the nation that leaved post '94.
What Watson doesn't get is that to "totally" eradicate crime we need to start with poverty(as i dont think people hijack,steal,rob and kill just 4 kicks).The only way to shoot down poverty is to employ the "criminals" - but how if we can't even get "foreign investors" to help in creating jobs for the "would be criminals"?.
This morning is tried to find some wicked application that could shut-down his site. All i got is the IP address and the ISP:prometheus.tiscali.co.za [196.41.130.178]).
I got some app that cloggs the disk space at 1MB per sec,will try it at home (not while on company network) to bring this Sucka Down.
I do admit that the crime is high and something needs to be done about it but irresponsibly-stupidly scaring foreigners wont do us and to a large extent "Dr Watson" any good.
U know what--let me go home now and start my evil plan to do SA good...
If it's down,jus know that BLACKMODZ did it, Mr Watson,u punk *ss !!!
Crime came one day and took your car and loved one away and now you are on this website saying things are not so bad ,, you are brave. braver than me , than i will ever be.. . .
I am sick and tired of people who complains and drag this country in a mud of selfishness and hatred,u know what fuck off with your racist fucker watson,people like you needs a bullet in your head and be raped thats when you will start channeling your efforts to a better cause.I am gatvol with people being killed because they are mistakened to rabbits or being thrown into laundry machines if i was given an Ak47 i will blow their brains off including watson and hated ones.
There's so much anti-2010 attitude from quite a number of White South Africans because it will expose to the world the successes of SA Democracy under the black government.They world will see that we are definitely no where being the next Zimbabwe.To these white SA's,will this serve you in anyway? Besides 2010 ,goverment should give crime busting efforts No.1 priority.SA still shines with a lot of positives as a great country to live in .
As a happy ex-pat - I think any attempt to get the SA government to do something about crime is welcome. Its only when you leave SA do you realise how traumatised South African society is and how immune you've become to news of violent crime.
When you experience how well other governments treat their citizens its shocking to realise how ineffective the SA govt is in dealing with any of the 'normal issues' of education, health care, job creation - let alone crime.
I'd just like to pose a question why in this day and age does youth automatically mean lack of experience? Age will NEVER determine how much experience one has had in life. I think that those people who have posted comments demoting what Addy has done based merely on his age is uninformed and compleletly irrelevant. As far as I can see he had something to say and he's said it and being just a 'kid' after all and not 'knowing' very much he certainly got everyone talking didn't he. I think he's brilliant and more people should aspire to acting on their feelings and opinions maybe then progress will be made in all sorts of spheres and people will realise that no matter what, South Africa is the place to be. Age is after all but a number!
hey "loving South africa" im black and i think you got a problem with whites;-( keep it all in and eventually youll feel better !
I have been reading most of the comments made from both "Expose SA" and Adam's Blog. I find the website of Mr. Watson DISGUSTING. One has to ask what the point is? Pointing out the problems in South Africa? - the world knows - there is no need to highlight the severity. I am currently living in London & I can honestly say that I have been more afraid in the UK than I have ever been in SA - but the British police are better equipped to deal with the issue relating to crime.The UK Govt is more apt at problem solving - but all this after many. many years of being a democracy. We are a young, vibrant country still finding our feet. Our policing will improve, our leaders will eventually learn & develop ways to curb crime. What we as SA citizens need to do is believe in our leaders, be aware of our surroundings & support our fellows South Africans!
I will be back there next year & I can's wait. Let's stay positive
I've emigrated to Perth, Australia, but would come back in a flash if 1) Crime stats were halved - eg murders went down by 50%
2) More was done to combat speeding and other dangerous behaviour on the roads that makes SA an extremely dangerous place to live ( oh, and its not only taxis - speeding and dangerous driving is universal in SA )
In SA , there are as many murders committed than in the USA on a yearly basis. But the problem is the stats are not even published, here in Aus I know exactly, to the street, how many crimes were committed in the last week. Although Neil Watsons methods are stupid and unscientific, the authorities in SA give him the room to move. Publish proper stats nationally every week and someone like him would take his badly designed web site and his sensationalist attitude into a blokey bar where it belongs and not on the national stage. Lets send people like NW packing with facts, rather than trying to paint a glossy pic of SA.
SOLVE CRIME = EFFECTIVE POLICE.
HOW DO YOU GET THIS:
REVOLUTION IF YOU HAVE THE WHOLE ARMY BEHIND YOU OR IF YOU ARE ONLY ONE LAW ABIDING CITIZEN YOU DO WHAT NEIL.WATSON HAS DONE(CONGRATULATION NEIL) AND HOPE FOR THE BEST.
I HAVE BEEN STAYING IN NEW JERSEY(U.S.A) FOR 5 YEARS I WOULD COMPARE MY EXPERIENCE HERE WITH THE OLD S.A :
YOU CAN GO SHOPPING WITH A SONG IN YOUR HEART,NO WORRIES ABOUT YOUR CAR OR HANDBAG BEEN STOLEN OR YOUR LIVE BEEN TAKEN.NO BULLETS FLYING OVER OR INTO YOUR HEAD.NO PERSON STARING YOU OUT OF YOUR CLOTHES/CAR.YOU CAN EVEN LEAVE YOUR CAR UNLOCKED.
WE STAY IN A APARTMENT WITH NO BUGALARPROOF BARS.I WORK NIGHT SHIFT AND AS A WOMEN I HAVE NO FEAR OF BEING RAPED/MURDERD WHEN PARKING MY CAR AT WORK OR COMING BACK HOME.
OUR CARS ,ONE ALMOST BRAND NEW GETS PARKED OUTSIDE IN A PARKING BAY AND NO ONE HAS STOLEN IT IN THE PAST 5 YEARS! THE OTHER MORNING I WENT TO THE CAR AND FOUND IT STILL WAITING SAFE AND SOUND WHILE WE FORGOT TO LOCK THE DOOR !
WE CAN GO FOR WALKS IN ANY PARK WITHOUT THOUGHTS OF BEEN MURDERD/RAPED EVEN AT 8:30PM !
YOU CAN CONCENTRATE ON ABIDING THE LAW,S OF THE ROAD INSTEAD OF LOOKING ALL OVER THE PLACE FOR ANY POTENTIAL HIGH JACKERS,WINDOW,S CAN BE LEFT RIGHT DOWN AND DOORS UNLOCKED WHILE DRIVING.
THAT,S WHAT I CALL FREEDOM THAT ALL HUMANKIND HAVE THE RIGHT TO.
WHEN WE VISIT S.A THERE IS ALLWAY,S THIS UNSETTELED FEELING. WE KEEP UP TO DATE WITH THE NEWS SO WE CAN TAKE PRECAUTIONS VISITING OUR BELOVED COUNTRY THAT WE WHERE FORCED OUT OF BECAUSE OF "CRIME". ALL THE ABOVE MENTIONED FREEDOM GETS REVERSED.WE EVEN GO HIKING WITH A GUN A THING WE WOULD NEVER HAVE THOUGHT OF IN THE OLD S.A AND YES EVERY PERSON IS A POTENTIAL CRIMINAL EVEN IF THEY ARE SELLING FRUIT,NOT TO BE PARANOID BUT THIS IS TO USE WISDOM BECAUSE THESE THINGS HAPPEN DAILY. IT IS GREAT TO GO FOR HIKES IN THE U.S.A (AND WE HAVE BEEN ALL OVER THE U.S.A)ENJOYING THE NATURE AND NOT CONCERNED THAT YOU WILL BE THE NEXT CRIME STATISTIC THAT WILL BE HIDDEN AWAY AS FROM 2004.
YES THERE IS CRIME ALL OVER THE WORLD WE ARE NOT IN HEAVEN,BUT YOU CAN SURELY NOT MAKE A MISTAKE OF THAT IN S.A THERE ONE IS CLOSER TO HELL.
THE DIFFERENCE IS AS SO MANY BEFORE ME HAS TRIED TO GET THREW TO THE IGNORANT THAT:
IN MOST FIRTS WORLD COUNTRIES LIKE THE U.S.A THERE IS EFFECTIVE POLICE.
SERIOS CRIMES BECOMES HEADLINE NEWS. CRIMINALS GET CAUGHT AND PROSECUTED EFFECTIVELY.YOU DONT, HEAR OF PEOPLE ESCAPING CUSTODY OR A RIDICULOUS SENTENCE OF A COUPLE OF YEARS FOR MURDER/RAPE BEEN GIVEN.THE % OF VIOLENT CRIME IS LOW LOOK AT THE STATISTICS(ALSO REMEMBER S.A IS AS BIG AS MAYBE THE STATE OF TEXAS)FOR THE FACT THAT S.A HAS THE NR 2 HOT SPOT. CRIME DONE BECAUSE OF HATRED IS THE EXCEPTION TO THE RULE WHERE IN S.A THAT IS THE RULE! MOST PEOLPE FEAR THE LAW IN THE U.S.A BECAUSE THEY KNOW THAT THEY WON,T BE PLAYED WITH.THIS IS WHY WE CAN ENJOY LIVING HERE ,NOT TO SAY NOTHING WILL EVER HAPPEN LIKE I SAID WE ARE NOT IN HEAVEN .BUT AT LEAST ONE CAN RELAX KNOWING THAT HUMAN LIVES ARE RESPECTED HERE.
SOME PEOPLE,S MEMORIES PROBABLY HAVE BECOME CLOUDED BUT BEING IN MY EARLY 30,S I CAN REMEMBER ENJOYING THIS FREEDOM AS MENTIONED ABOVE IN THE OLD S.A AND I AM SURE IF THE BLACKS HAD TO BE TRUTHFULL THEY WOULD SAY EVEN IN THE TOWNSHIPS,EXCEPT FOR WHEN THE ANC CREATED UNREST BURNING PEOPLE WITH TIRES INDOCTRINATING THEM,BUT EVEN THEN THE OLD S.A POLICE EFFECTIVELY HANDELED THOSE SITUATIONS.IN MY PERSONAL EXPERIENCE WITH BLACK PEOPLE IN THE OLD S.A WE HAD GOOD RELATIONSHIPS WITH THEM AND THEY KNEW THAT THEY COULD OPEN THERE HEARTS UP TO US ,NONE EVER MENTIONED THAT CRIME WAS OUT OF CONTROL IN THE TOWNSHIPS.WE ALLWAY,S HAD BLACK AND WHITE MEMBERS IN OUR CHURCH.
REMEMBER THERE IS NO EXCUSE FOR CRIME.I KNOW MANY POOR PEOPLE EVEN IN SWAZILAND THAT HAS NOT CONVERTED TO CRIME BUT BECAUSE THEY TRY TO LIVE RIGHTEOUS LIVES THEY PROSPER.
AND TO THOSE THAT HAVE TO CURSE AND EVEN WISHES CRIME ON OTHERS I HOPE YOU GET CONVERTED BEFORE IT IS TO LATE.IF YOU USE THOSE TACTICS YOU ARE NO BETTER THEN THE LOW SCUM CRIMINALS.
MY PRAYER FOR ALL S.A CITIZENS IS THAT THEY WILL OBTAIN THIS FREEDOM THAT THEY DESERVE.
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The SA Law Commission's report on crime resolution rates revealed that only 6 out of every 100 robberies, rapes and murders ever result in a conviction of an offender.
(SOUTH AFRICAN LAW COMMISSION, RESEARCH PAPER 18, Conviction rates and other outcomes of crimes reported in eight South African police areas available in PDf format here)
According to the SA Law Commission’s report, the percentage of cases reported resulting in convictions is as follows:
Murder: 10.6%
Rape 6.6%
Robbery with aggravating circumstances 3%.
These are shockingly low figures, and I can do no better than to quote from the SA Law Commission’s findings:
“Crime pays. South African criminals, even violent criminals, tend to get away with their crimes.
“For every 100 violent crimes (murder, rape and aggravated robbery) reported to the police, perpetrators in only six cases had been convicted after more than two years.
“This proportion of convictions in relation to the reported cases two years after the report is similar for different crime categories.
“There is a conviction in approximately one in ten reported cases of rape of a girl under 18 (9%) and in a similar proportion of reported murder cases (11%).
“Less than one in twenty perpetrators of reported adult rape (5%) or aggravated robbery (3%) are convicted.
“Three quarters of cases involving murder, rape and robbery with aggravating circumstances have not even made it to court after two years.
“There are numerous, well documented, problems in the South African criminal justice system that would account for low conviction rates.
“Such problems include under-trained and overworked detectives and prosecutors who have inadequate support staff and services.
“There are high levels of illiteracy in the police and problems with discipline and morale.
“The public also deserves a measure of blame for the poor performance of the criminal justice system with some people failing to co-operate with the police despite being witness to crime or having evidence about a crime or suspected perpetrators.
“Special mention should be made of the extent to which the results suggest potentially inadequate police investigation of violent crime.
“If police activity in the Western Metropole is similar to other police areas, then this means that nationally the police close as undetected most cases of violent crime reported to it.
“The study showed that police were unable to identify a suspect in 55% of reported violent crimes.
“This result does not imply that individual police officers are not doing their best with the available resources. They often have to do their work with inadequate resources, such as a lack of vehicles and insufficient access to modern policing technology.
“High case loads are compounded by low numbers of experienced, trained detectives.”
An excellent blog on the real SA
http://southafricaiscrap.blogspot.com/
Dear Addy,
I know that this comment will most probably be lost among the barrrage of comments this blog has. But I hope it is read at least once. I admire you for the stance that you have taken and your objective views. I am a 16 year old South African girl, although I am ´young´ that does not make me less aware of the issues that South Africa faces, or the ways in which I as a citizen can make a difference. I am a person who believes in facing the world and its realities. Right now I`m in Costa Rica on a student exchange, this country is safe, famous for its lack of army and easy going attitude. I have been asked by friends and family if I would live here, my answer is no. I miss home and the prospects it has, as well as the challenges it faces. South Africa is at a crossroads, we as South Africans have to stand up to the challenge. I often ask people this, especially on teen websites full of complaining South Africans.
What are YOU doing?
I know what I can do. I know that basic values, respect and tolerance forms the base of my life and I recieve that in return. I know that I can make a difference in the life of at least one child at the children's home I help out at. I know that my friends of all religions and cultures are actively involved in a better South Africa through community projects.I know that my life should not be lived in fear, but hope. I am a South African out to make a difference..and I KNOW that there are millions of others like me.
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