Where I live, on a small holding north of Pretoria, when people think about the new year, they often ponder the levels of crime that have plagued the past one. And our crime levels are absurdly high. Last night, in the adjoining plot lands, we had four break-ins and two rapes.
This sounds like a battle between the haves and have-nots, an undeclared war between plot owners and township dwellers. Excepting that it is not quite like that.
All of last night’s victims, those robbed and those raped, were employees on plots, not the plot owners themselves. The workers are an easier target than well-armed plot owners. All of this indicates that our crime wave is not a racial matter. The criminals take what they can get, regardless of whether the victim is a plot owner or a member of the worker class.
It would seem to make better sense to steal from those who have something worth stealing. The criminal mind, I am sure, has a view of that that, but the softest targets, the old, the unarmed and the poorly protected, give them least trouble.
So, in our neighbourhood, many people will be wondering what can be done in the new year to avoid becoming another victim, or a repeat victim, of crime. Solutions depend on the views people hold and the resources available to them. A number of our neighbours wear firearms on their belts, a clear warning to anyone with criminal intentions. No doubt more alarm systems and more sturdy burglar guards will be installed in 2024. Some garages where cars have lost wheels or batteries are likely to be strengthened, as are workshops where electric drills and similar items have gone missing. Not a few extra dogs will be acquired, small ones that are alleged to sleep lightly and big ones to threaten harm to intruders.
For those with more limited resources, solutions have to be less costly. Some workers have removed handles from the doors of their quarters. Some employers make arrangements to avoid paying their workers in cash. Some well-disposed employers arrange a cellphone connection so they can be alerted to the presence of anyone who does not belong.
So, new year resolutions in our neighbourhood will tend towards greater resistance to crime, perhaps more effective weapons. It does not sound positive or optimistic, but you can only play the hand fate deals you. Perhaps 2024 will turn out better than the year just ending. Only time will show.
