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An increasing fear of crime is having a dramatic effect on the lifestyle of South Africans.
South Africans are scared of visiting parks, of allowing their children to play outside, or to walk to work.
These are some of the findings of the 2014-2015 Victims of Crime Survey that statistician-general for Statistics South Africa, Pali Lehohla, announced in Pretoria today.
The SSA, which conducted interviews with residents of 13 000 households across the country, found that the majority of South Africans did not feel safe in this country and believed that crime in their area was increasing.
In an effort to avoid being victims of crime South Africans were, increasingly, avoiding general day-to-day activities.
About 40% of respondents said they wouldn’t visit parks or open spaces when they were on their own; 25% refused to let their children play outside by themselves and 17% wouldn’t walk to work for fear of crime.
About 13% wouldn’t use public transport for safety reasons and 18% wouldn’t let their children walk to school.
The number of South Africans who have avoided these activities since 2011 has increased every year – especially in the Western Cape, Gauteng and the Northern Cape.
In the Western Cape, 45% of parents do not allow their children to play outside and, in Gauteng, 44% of people don’t go to parks when they are alone.
“Crime instils fear among households and it may hinder their ability to engage in their day-to-day activities,” said the report.
It was also found that people felt increasingly unsafe after dark.
Only 31% said they felt safe walking alone after dark in their neighbourhood. In 2011, 38% said they felt safe after dark.
According to the SSA, this is a “noticeable declining trend”.
An increasing number of South Africans are taking up security measures to protect themselves.
The statistics showed that 52% secured their homes, 29% secured their cars and 4% carried weapons.
About 11% made use of the services of private security companies and 7% belonged to self-help groups such as community safety forums.
The largest percentage of residents who protected their homes (70%) lived in the Western Cape, followed by Gauteng (64%) and Mpumalanga (50%).
Western Cape (24%) and Gauteng (17%) were the provinces where the private security services were the most popular.
House break-ins were the most feared crime in South Africa, with robberies second on the list.
