55 attempted killings
99 rapes
324 robberies
575 assaults
651 burglaries
39 car jackings and...
1 World Cup
The figures will be about the same tomorrow and the day after — and there are just 692 days left before the troubled nation hosts football’s World Cup finals.
Sky high crime figures ... violence in South Africa
Tens of thousands of Brits will be heading there in 2010, should some or all of our home nations qualify.
And South Africa’s shameful crime record is triggering alarm bells at football’s governing body, FIFA.
President Sepp Blatter has already put three undisclosed countries on stand-by to host the tournament with just a year's notice, should security chiefs fail to convince them they have the situation under control.
But some South Africans are urging Blatter to speak to people on the street to get the full, frightening facts.
Farmer Steph Hartung, from Johannesburg, has been robbed and shot at more times than he cares to remember.
And he has this chilling advice for football fans heading to Africa in 2010:
More police officers ... World Cup plan
“This is Africa, this is not like anywhere else. You have to fight like a lion – or die like a rat.”
Mr Hartung is head of campaign group Victims In the Republic of South Africa (VIRSA).
“If fans are thinking of coming over they need to be prepared to defend themselves.
“I’d say come along and look where you are going — and watch who’s behind you.”Mr Hartung runs an essential oils farm south of Johannesburg.
He said, “It's a high-risk area and a high-risk job — it's just part of my life.”
Bizarrely, he adds: “I can honestly say that everyone who has ever robbed me has been very polite.
“They have always said please and thank you while pointing the gun.
Unbuilt ... Janine Self outside one of South Africa's unfinished stadiums
“I was car-jacked when I dropped off one of my workers. A guy came from behind the wall and suddenly there was a gun in my face.
“But there were other guys behind the wall and there was a big shootout.
“One of the guys was killed and, within 30 seconds of his death, his gun and shoes had been stolen.
“I set up VIRSA because there are a lot of poor, uneducated, vulnerable people out there who are victims of crime and there is no one to help.”
Thomas Eastes is chairman of Gun Owners Of South Africa, a body representing 2.5 MILLION people who keep firearms in their home.
He said: “I fear a tragedy. The government needs to do something or lives could be lost.
“There is a huge criminal element in this country and it’s out of control.
“People are getting shot for a tiny amount of money.
“All these criminals will look at the World Cup in 2010 as a wonderful opportunity. There will be hundreds of thousands of visitors with dollars and Pounds and euros.
“The security chiefs say they will have it under control but the football authorities should do surveys with people on the street.
“Lies are being told and everyone says the politically correct thing about crime not being a problem in two years’ time.
“But in my opinion the police are not capable of defending the people of this country now.”
Mr Eastes, of Cape Town, owns guns for hunting and for self-defence. Like a huge number of his countrymen, he is also a victim of crime.
Risk ... Steph Hartung with wife Pinky DumaHe said: “Apart from the usual break-ins and robberies, my daughter Nikita was shot nine years ago, when she was five.
“We were in a shopping complex and there was an armed robbery.
“They shot security guards and then just started firing randomly. Fortunately, Nikita recovered. I would like to think I will never use my gun but I will never allow myself to become a victim.”
Amazingly, South Africa’s crime statistics are improving? (according to saps fudged stats)
But in a country of 49million, the figures are still staggering. Houses in the suburbs of Johannesburg are hidden behind high walls, electric fences and have radio connections to 24-hour armed response security guards.
Motorists are advised, if driving at night, to drive through red lights rather than risk a car-jacking.
And driving itself is a danger — a lack of public transport means nearly everyone gets behind a wheel, and many of them drink.
Last year, 11,577 fatal crashes were caused by alcohol.
Every small business has barred windows and panic buttons and gangs regularly bomb cashpoint machines in a bid to rob them.
Yet police insist they will have everything under control for 2010 and that visitors will be safe.
Johannesburg police plan to draft in an extra 40,000 officers, equipped with body armour and water cannons.
Cape Town security minister Leonard Ramatlakane has been sending some of his officers to London to learn lessons in crowd control from the Metropolitan Police.
He admits: “We have to accelerate these plans. I’m confident that we will win and that we will be leaving a legacy after 2010.”
The man on the street may be less optimistic.
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