South Africa: Country Profile

The government stands accused of lacking the political will, or even the capability, of taking serious steps to redress the situation, but people and organisations like the police, the business sector, local authorities and even just local communities, are taking the initiative to secure their own environment, and therefore that in which visitors are likely to find themselves.

Not the whole of South Africa is a 'red alert' zone. As is the case anywhere in the world, it is the cities that have the big problem, and certain tourist areas and isolated spots. The major urban centres have taken the situation very much to heart. After all, apart from anything else, what affects tourism affects the city coffers too.

The Business Against Crime (BAC) movement is already scoring some major successes. Organisations like the South African Police Tourism Assistance Unit and local council initiatives such as the Tourist Support Units are beginning to make a mark.

Nationally the Tourism Safety Task Group of the Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism is creating awareness of the issues in both the tourism industry and among tourists. The BAC movement was established to bring the management skills, partnerships and facilities of business into the fight against crime.

A number of pilot projects in various parts of the country have already met with huge success. In the Western Cape, CCTV (surveillance by closed circuit television) systems are up and successfully running in the towns of  Stellenbosch and Paarl. In Cape Town, CCTV was set up at a popular tourist spot in the city and within weeks the incidence of reported crime had been reduced from 60 a month to zero.

The system is now being expanded to cover much of the city. BAC is also involved in projects like high profile patrols on horseback, motorbikes and mountain bikes (one small town even has a cop on a donkey cart); Rent-a-Cop; the street children issue, and the revamping of the criminal justice system.