Of Rugby and Crime

(Note: Photos will be added as soon as I can to a broadband based internet system - the dial-up machine I'm using makes me think I'm in some remote part of the world.)

The World Championship is on! Rugby teams from all over the world are competing for the title. Why, even the USA, that bastion of American football has a team fielded. They lost early on.
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It appears to us here that everyone has a favorite team to cheer for, whether it's the Pretoria Blue Bulls, the Johannesburg Lions or certainly, the national team of South Africa, the Springboks. (You may have to Google that one.) The most notable aspect of rugby is the absence of helmets and pads - it's not for sissies. After watching a couple of televised games one notices that the game continues uninterrupted for 80 minutes. There are no commercials during this time; no time outs except to remove the injured from the field. This time control in this relatively fast moving game allows for viewing two games, or more in an afternoon!
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We watched a game at the Potch Mooi Rotary clubhouse. The television was extra loud as were the spectators. I took this opportunity to interview Lisa Visser about her life in South Africa.
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Lisa in the (soon to be posted) photo is on the right. She is of English descent. She is bilingual as is all whites and most blacks we've met so far, speaking both Afrikaans and English with ease. She attended university where classes were conducted in Afrikaans. Aside from her shock that we Americans eat only with fork and not the two fisted, ham-handed European practice of both knife and fork, she took to us. (Gotcha, Lisa!)
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She was trained in the law and praticed as an attorney for a few years in the capital city, Pretoria (which by the way, will become Tshwane under the current government's practice of renaming buildings, airports, parks, streets and cities to reflect black heritage, or more often named after those who are credited with participating in the "struggle" against Apartheid). Lisa returned to Potchefstroom to work in her father's very successful mining implement business.
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The following views may or may not be representative of the young professional whites in the Northwest or Free State provences. But Lisa is a highly educated successful business person with clear opinions.
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She is disappointed that the death penalty has been repealed. In 1994, with the adoption of the new Consitution, one that emphasizes human rights above all else, the death penalty was abolished. Lisa has seen the extreme escalation of the incidence of serious crime in the past 14 years. Crimes such as rape, armed robbery, home invasion, car-jacking and murder are not uncommon. She believes those that are habitual criminals may relish the idea of being taken care of for the rest of their lives. A warm, comfotable lace to sleep and three meals a day beat living on the streets.
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Lisa is concerned by the growing number of street children - orphans whose parents have abandoned them because they cannot support them, are in jail or who have died of AIDS. There is little in the way of a "safe haven" for them; the shelters are overrun. Many find their way into gangs in the townships - the black settlements around most cities.
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She emphsizes Potch is safe. Rural blacks are humble, kind and still influenced by the older dispensation - looking to the government of the whites for employment or food. The urban blacks, as well as many young people attending school and university throughout the country, will be forming the new middle class. But this will take time.
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Cars are routinely stolen by "the syndicates" - carloads of 4 or 5 young men who come form the city, Johannesburg to steal cars and bakkies (pick-ups) in sleepy Potch and drive them out quickly. Bakkies have been known to disappear from Rotary functions! These syndicates can be operated by locals or run by eastern Europeans.
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Emil has learned that generally, police are slow to respond to calls, may be incompetent and possibly be subject to giving friends a break. Under the governments new "affirmative action" plan, no whites are to be promoted. The police, as well as the army are quickly becoming all black. Courts are slow to deal with crime. Court personnel are known to steal case files for friends or for a fee. There is even an article in the Gauteng newspaper yesterday which described how two men convicted of rape were allowed by the judge to go out for a smoke before sentencing. These, of course, are isolated incidents and are what is on people's minds when the subject comes up.
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Lisa's major fear is rape. The forensic ability of the police is generally poor which means the prepretrator is likely to escape punishment. Even if found the means of identifying persons is becoming more difficult with the influx of illegals from Zimbabwe. Lisa believes 70% of all South African families will experience some form of serious crime during one's lifetime. She also has the fear of losing a family member, the possibility of a loved one being killed for a cellphone that can be sold for R200 (about $15) is very real for her.
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The next fear for rape victims is the real danger of being infected with HIV. The incidence of HIV infection is great. Lisa believes the testing for HIV takes six months (Dr. Shahim tells us it's three months), as this is the period of time it takes for the virus to be positively detected. During this period of time, rape counseling may or may not be available. The victim may become depressed and possibly ostrasized by friends and co-workers. (Rotarian Dr. Peter Shahim of Viljoenstroon tells us that 50% of all pregnant women in South Africa are HIV+. Of the childen born of HIV+ women, about 30% contract the HIV during birth and about 30% breast feeding.)
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Black females live with the fear of rape and the prospect of HIV infection. Many times, rapes of black women are not reported. Incompetence or indifference at the police station, the lack of proper counseling and trauma attention, most of all, the fear of retibution by the perpretrator or his gang. Many young black women feel helpless.
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Security concerns among the whites is always evident. Aside from fences, gates, bars and cell-like doors, alarms and interior security gates are common. Interior security gates separate the bedrooms from the kitchen and living room areas of many homes. Burglars are thus encouraged to take the valuables and leave the homeowner's family alone. (Dr. Shahim tells us that the way to prevent auto tehft is relatively straightforward - just follow these steps: 1. Lock your car. 2. Activate the immobilizer (electrical). 3. Turn on the alarm; and 4. Install the "gearlock" (heavy metal brace over the gearshift).