print“My apologies; I’ve misled readers about my native South Africa. I called it the most violent place on earth outside a war zone. I was wrong. BBC World recently and reluctantly disclosed that South Africa jostles with Iraq and Columbia for the title of most violent country in the world, war zones included. …President Thabo Mbeki ignored the BBC’s otherwise incontinent exhilaration about everything else South-African, choosing instead to frame as racism the network’s newfound realism vis-Ã -vis crime. Mbeki wields this ad hominem like an assegai. He is, however, much less adept at logic.”
More on Mbeki’s response to the reality of crime in South Africa in my latest WND column, “Mbeki Puts on Thinking Cap to Wrestle With Crime.”
“Africa” Archive is here.
Increasing and constant street violence? Incompetent and untruthful officials denying the obvious and demonizing critics as “racists”? Sounds like the conditions in most major US cities. Especially my home town of Memphis. As I’ve said before, South Africa is a disaster and Western Europe and the US are headed that way fast.
The world had better take a good look at SA and learn. But they won’t look nor will they take steps because “civilized” societies are too politically correct and cowardly to face facts and take steps.
Woah! Charm, wit, insight, brains and stunning good looks too, you are truly blessed Ilana.
Your quip about Thabo’s ‘logic’ is actually a no-brainer. On the one hand for example, he and his band of thieves are imploring the public to climb in and help out with crime-prevention.
On the other, this same band of cretins are implementing their disarmament programme of the very people that would–and could–help.
Disarming legally-licenced firearm owners, taxpayers that–according to Parliament itself–99.95% commit no crime whatsoever is sheer lunacy.
But then when did socialism ever have anything to do with logic or justice?
Keep up the good work dear, you’re doing fine.
Martin L Hedington
Public Safety Rep’: Ekurhuleni Ward 15 Ward Committee
Chair: Birchleigh Residents Association.
Community Liason Officer: Sector Crime Forum Birchleigh
Executive Producer: Live Fire TV SA
GM: Community Crime-prevention Initiative, (CCI).
Publisher: Conditioned Victim? Your Choice!
Gauteng Regional Advocacy Director: Gun Owners of South Africa. (GOSA)
tv2h@telkomsa.net
i am a 34 year old Afrikaner white male (worst possible status to find work in SA due to BEE) and live in South Africa. Ilana is 100% correct, we live in “jails” of security due to crime that is worse than war. With war you know normally from what direction the enemy attacks! To give you an idea of what security means: we live in a security estate surrounded with a 12 ft wall with electric fencing, security guards 24hours a day. My house has its own electric fence plus i have an alarm system that is connected to a security resonse company. My wife has her own .38 special for further protection if needed. We still have housebreakings in our estate of 20 units with all this security. Every second household has member(S) that have some sort of counselling due to crime trauma and our medical aid doen’t pay these expensive accounts. I am still thankfull for a beautiful country and within all this madness we still have enough blessings. Only one way to live in SA: live by faith and believe the Lord Jesus looks after us!
This double standard has got to stop. When blacks are committing awful crimes, we must ignore “politically correctness” and we should expose them. The fear of being labeled a bigot or a racist is a way to shut the world up. I have lived in Hollywood, Florida for over 15 years. Up until 2004, crime was rare. Few and far between. From 2005 till today, most minorities (blacks & hispanics) have moved into Broward County than any other county in the Country. The results? Crime has gone up 130% and increasing daily. Cars are broken into, as you pay for gas at various stations. More vandalism than ever before. This place is slowly becoming an extension of the chaos and mayhem in Dade County. I am moving soon.
Something I noticed when I moved to Eastern Europe shortly after the change of regimes there: police states have lousey police.
Dear Ilana,
Stories like Albert’s, above, are heartbreaking to read, not only for his description of security precautions, but also because of the loss of potential when bright, young, energetic people who could contribute much to that country are prevented from doing so. It is such a waste. Nor can I miss Albert’s point about the test of faith in which many SA Christians now find themselves immersed, and I’ll be praying for them.
The David Rattray murder generated intense coverage in the UK as well as in SA due to the victim’s very high profile. Many are eager to see what the government is going to do to address the crime problem, other than separating law-abiding citizens from their guns. You’re the only American-based commentator I’ve read who’s given these issues any ink. Keep up the good work and best regards,
Barbara
I believe that South Africa, with all the atrocities taking place there is certainly overlooked & overshadowed because of the middle east. Hostile, violent, merciless black gangs would like to drive white people out of the country. The security minister has a flippant attitude towards white citizens.
Perhaps Barak Obama should export his views of racial utopia, and travel to South Africa. But, that would be really hard to do, when here in the USA, he is content to stir the hateful racial embers in a very (so he thinks) sneaky manner. Yes, Obama has only smpathy for “oppressed” blacks. You will never see him step up to the plate, and stand up for the oppressed, pillaged, raped, beaten, and murdered innocent white people of South Africa. Perish the thought that he becomes the President. You know what his worldview would be pertaining to South Africa.
The world is getting worse. Chinese christians are killed daily for their faith, and huddle underground for Bible study & worship services. Such as happened to the Jews during Nazism. Maybey if the Saudis started to complain to the Bush adminstration about South Africa like they did about Iran, something could get done. Problem is, the Saudis aren’t afraid of the militant, marauding blacks in South Africa like they are of the Iranians. Martin Berrow
“Only whites complain,” he smirked, adding that “they can continue to whinge until they are blue in the face, or they can simply leave this country.”
Since you have put the words into quotation marks, I assume that this is exactly what he said.
It was not reported in the same words in SA. Do you have a link to this?
[Boy oh boy; are you the beneficiaries of censorship in SA! The BBC paraphrased his words exactly so. And I went looking for them and found live footage of the man, in Parliament, saying exactly what is quoted here by the CNN. http://www.cnn.com/2006/WORLD/africa/07/02/safrica.crime/index.html Are you incapable of using a search engine?]
South Africa is ignored at present, in my opinion, because of the repercussions caused by a thirty year campaign of shifting world-view where ethical and moral behavior has been inverted which was promoted by the UN and specific member countries. This change in perspective is evidenced in the way terrorists have become heroes, such as Mandela. In a similar vein, Mbeki, an ‘agent provocateur’ of the ANC spanning back 30 years is really no different than Mandela. He, like Mandela, belonged to a group which thought with guns and violence rather than with their heads, of which, they may or may not be capable. A terrorist is a terrorist, they can’t suddenly become saints because a small group promote a media campaign to elevate them beyond what they are: criminals.
So, we appear to have an inversion is South Africa, everything is backwards and one sided. Criminality is the norm it appears, rather than working honestly. Criminals commit crimes in broad daylight and the police look away or actually let them go. Racism may only be applied to whites, even though the aboriginals are racist to colored and Indian members of society. Oprah can build an all black girls school, but if deBeers builds an all white girls school, that would be racist. As I said above, terrorists are now heros and white Afrikaners can’t even have their names listed on a “unifying” memorial, even though they fought shoulder to shoulder with the UNITA forces in Angola. All that is left is corruption and a double standard, and one cannot lead by example if one operates under those terms. All the while, Mbeki, using ANC-controlled doctrine, re-writes the history of South Africa producing little more than a farce.
I say to the people who supported this change and the manner in which it was enacted, go to South Africa and reap what you have sown. Experience looking down the barrel of a 9mm or having it pressed to your head and wondering if the next breath is your last. After all, you’d just be another “soft target”, nothing more than the redistribution of supposed wealth. Just a little collateral damage in a country of acceptable losses.
Mbeki’s ‘race’ card, which he uses every time there is some criticism of his policies or his actions, will not change. Those offered the psychological crutches of a liberalistic world, will always use them, it’s human nature. Blame is easier to give than receive and diversion from facts, sometimes even easier. South Africa is simply a failed experiment now, that may in time, implode upon itself. But to be sure, not until the natural resources are stripped away through the greed and avarice of its present ruling elite.