A Country at War With Itself: South Africa's Crisis of Crime

by Antony Altbeker

Whether it is hijacking or rape, a home robbery or a husband’s explosion of rage, violence is so common that few lives have been left untouched by it. The result is a society deformed by its fears. Closeted behind locked doors and high walls, panic buttons at the ready, members of the middle classes live lives haunted by fear. The poor, who are both more likely to be victimized and less able to secure themselves, are just as traumatized.

A Country at War with Itself is a penetrating exploration of South Africa’s crime problem. Getting behind the statistics to offer a sober and sobering account of the scale of the problem and its evolution, it describes how government has sometimes sought to deal with the crisis and sometimes sought to deny its existence. The book ends with some suggestions of what needs to be done to deal with this scourge.

Genres: Africa, South Africa, Nonfiction, Crime

189 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2007

Reviews

[Barry Levy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great insight into the problem of modern democratic South Africa and its (very) violent crime crisis. Poses some solutions too.

[AJ Payne · Rating 3 out of 5]

I appreciated this look at some of the drivers of crime in South Africa. Unfortunately, whether the ideas in the book were never implemented, or they were attempted and it didn't work, nearly 20 years on from publication crime in South Africa remains a significant problem, and perhaps it has even grown since one of the primary identified drivers - the economy - has certainly not improved. Crime in South Africa has had many articles and books written on it, though this one remains very accessible and easy to read.

[Sean de la Rosa · Rating 4 out of 5]

An amazing little read - short and punchy! Altbeker tackles the difficult topic of crime in South Africa and provides insights into why crime in our country is so violent.

The author traces the root causes for violent crime back to when the first European landed in the Cape - it seems that the use of legislated force to keep the majority stultified has been with us for a very long time. Also, the delayed ending of apartheid and the fact that South Africans have become extremely demotivated by the failures of government to deliver on their democratic promises has increased the general sense of angst and unhappiness. It seems, South Africans are quick to jump to violence as an alternative if their needs are not met.

I like Altbekers closing reference to VS Naipauls term of a "half-baked" society to describe current South Africa. It seems the prognosis depends on our collective mindset in tackling the difficult social and security issues we face.

[Philippe Lazaro · Rating 1 out of 5]

"Our addiction to violence is only partly explained by our socio-economic profile. The rest of the explanation lies in the way in which violence and criminality have themselves come to shape the context in which young men make decisions about how to behave."

–Antony Altbeker

A provoking read I recently went through as prep work for my thesis.

Missing the kids I know who are affected by the violent environment in South Africa and hoping that I get to see them soon.