South Africa is swarming with criminals that attempt to rob, attack and murder innocent victims daily. There is no solution to combat crime and while the unemployment rate remains high crime increases.

When people are alerted to attacks, it could save a life and possessions. Being vigilant and cautious can foil an attempted attack. Practicing situation awareness and responding instinctively when an imminent threat to your life is happening is the key to avoiding a horrible situation.

Jan Smuts Avenue, Parktown has been marked as a hotspot for vehicle hijacking and last night another hijacking was foiled by the quick thinking driver who stopped at a red light intersection. The driver was approached by two men on either side of the vehicle who demanded he hand over the cell phone and money and was threatened to be shot. When the driver saw the suspect reach his arm inside his jacket, he accelerated through the red light. It was dangerous to drive off through the red light as accidents could have occurred, however in this instance, there was none.  If the driver had waited for the traffic light to change, there was a possibility that he might have sustained serious injuries or lost his life from another senseless shootout.

It is not only people in a vehicle who are threatened daily; it is innocent people walking the streets of Soth Africa that are vulnerable to attacks. A 35-year-old caretaker was stabbed to death by a group of teenagers while walking down Phoenix Street, Durban, Kwazulu-Natal. The man was stabbed in his chest by juveniles who say the caretaker attempted to rob their friend and acted in self-defense.

Washing your car should be a harmless activity and yet in Carltonville, without any warning five men surrounded a woman while she was getting her car cleaned.  The overpowering men beat the woman and tied her up. The suspects fled in their vehicle and stole the just cleaned new car of the victim.

There are the hit and run incidents happening all the time, and another victim is suffering from intensive lacerations to his arms and legs. The man in his forties was hooked by barbed wire hanging off the side of the truck as it drove past him. The victim was dragged behind the truck for almost 50 meters before he successfully detangled himself. This incident happened in Pietermaritzburg, Kwazulu-Natal.

Where are people safe these days, it is not in a vehicle, or while walking and doing chores. Criminals have no sense of fear and attack people randomly. It is indeed a concern; that innocent people do not know who will be the next victim. South Africa is fearfully a country scorned by the criminal activities of individuals who have no shame or regret for the damage and trauma caused.

By Laura Oneale

Source: CICA South Africa

South Africa Today – South Africa News