Attorney Michael de Broglio on: South Africa, Law, Politics, Attorneys, Sport, Photography, Technology, Gadgets, Media, Crime, Road Accidents Fund,
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The one thing that almost all of us, who live in South Africa, have in common is a crime story. Many of us have only been victims of petty crime, and others of more serious crime. I am not sure what to call mine, because I came out of it absolutely fine, apart from paranoia sometimes when I enter certain driveways, but I would like to hear your story and what you think we can do to reduce crime in South Africa.
If you are interested, you can read more about what happened to me and my family in 2009 at this link and then understand why within a month I moved to a more secure estate and I would never be prepared to live anywhere other than in a secure estate or complex again.
Posted by Michael de Broglio on Monday 01-Dec-14
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Comments
Thabitha said:
on Tuesday 09-Dec-14 07:26 AM
Drugs that are coming to SA or people that are selling drugs to the youth of SA are the biggest problem, I am sorry to say this but most of the people that are selling or manufacturing are not from SA
Zindy said:
on Monday 08-Dec-14 07:02 AM
I myself have been in a few rather unpleasant situations. The ugly truth is no matter how many cameras or alarms you have installed which yes is a deterrent, if they want something they will take it no matter the consequences. Just always keep calm, don't aggravate the situation worse by taunting them, especially if they have weapons because they are sometimes so hyped on drugs they don't even realize what they are doing. Crime is getting worse so we just have to prepare the best we can for the se type of situations.
Sinead said:
on Friday 05-Dec-14 04:23 PM
I can't believe the crime in this country and it's only increasing because it's December... I don't know what the solution is but there needs to be one...
Angelique said:
on Friday 05-Dec-14 04:06 PM
I honestly feel that the death sentence should be brought back. It would be tragic if someone you knew became a thief or murderer and was on death row, but ultimately I feel that is the only way to cut down crime. Perhaps more criminals would think twice about killing innocent people or doing criminal activity if they knew their life depending on it. Criminals are so use to going in and out of jail that its a risk they willing to take, but a death sentence? There is no second chance in that.
Brenda Du Toit said:
on Tuesday 02-Dec-14 08:56 AM
Its sad to know of all the crime going on in South Africa and its sad to think that every day its getting worse
Ashleigh said:
on Monday 01-Dec-14 11:22 AM
And I am not against foreigners at all, I'm just saying that just like other countries have strict laws with immigration so should we look at that.
Ashleigh said:
on Monday 01-Dec-14 11:13 AM
I read your story and I get instant thoughts of how it could have turned out especially how brutal thefts are nowadays. The only crime I experienced was being mugged. My Uncle and Grandfather both experienced Hijackings. My Uncle was at an ATM and had guys take him on a road trip. They tried getting information of where he lived, who was at his home He begged them not to divulge the information and luckily one of the guys felt bad and told the others that they should just leave it as they have gotten enough from him. I am sure he is still highly affected from the experience. My Grandfather was hijacked outside his gate at his home where they tried shooting at his head and luckily it didn't go through as planned as the bullet went through his ear drum and is now deaf in the one ear. But to take a person's life for a car, cell phone is just being brutal and I agree that death penalty should be brought back especially with the overflowing convicts in prison and murderers, rapists being released "on good behaviour" or their sentences weren't that long to begin with when they should actually be hung and society has one less convict to deal with. There are plenty of excuses for crimes but one is definitely because foreigners are coming from other countries and trying to get what little employment that's here and those foreigners that are battling will refuse to go back home because it's just very easy to commit crimes here and not deal with the laws back home.
Jolene said:
on Monday 01-Dec-14 10:07 AM
This is terrible, my story is so bad but I was so scared! I was in Hatfield at a garage to withdraw cash at the ATM one Sunday morning, a big guy that was dress very smart was standing behind me. Just as I finished I tried to walk back to my car but there was two other guys that blocked my way and pushed me back to the ATM, the one that was standing behind me grab my card I demanded me to put in my pin. I was freezing, I could even remember my pin, I just said No no no so one of the other guys grabbed my hand slammed it on the ATM and said put in your pin&put in your pin I manage to get to my car, till this day I have no idea how I managed to get out. I left my card in the ATM and phoned immediate to stop my card.
Im so paranoid to withdraw money since that day, just the thought of what couldve happened.
david said:
on Monday 01-Dec-14 08:23 AM
@ Juliet - the death penalty will never come back. also NB to remember that it has been proven that the death penalty does not have an effect on the level of crime.
even more NB is that many people have posthumously been proven to be innocent. how do you pardon a dead person?
Juliet said:
on Friday 28-Nov-14 02:24 PM
Bring back the death penalty. Stop tip-toeing around criminals. Make South Africa a land of law and order.
Liesl said:
on Friday 28-Nov-14 01:48 PM
People often argue that crime is found everywhere all over the world. But everyone I have spoken to that has immigrated reports that they don't know violent crime where they are living now like what we talk about. Be that as it may, the crime is worrying and the inhumane and violent manner in which it is executed even more worrying. What can be expected when your own president doges the "bullet" when having to own up to his own misdemeanours.
Marisa said:
on Friday 28-Nov-14 11:56 AM
I feel sick every time i just think about crime as my farther's brother got shot as he drove past a hijack and died a few seconds later and that was in 2007 and my moms brother owns a scrapyard and he went to go sell the stuff and he got R60 000 for that what he has sold and he got it in cash and the people he sold it to got people to rob him and get their money back and he is a big guy and 3 criminals jumped him and beat him up that he couldn't even walk and took that R60 000 and his phone.. I really don't have sympathy for them as i say they dont want things like this to happen to their families as they will freak, so why do it to our families? When the get caught it should be like the movie "I spit on your grave" as they get tortured for what they did
Lucretia said:
on Friday 28-Nov-14 10:38 AM
I do not believe that poverty is the reason for crime in SA. Like Eugene Terblanche once said, "if it was poverty related, people would steel food, etc. But ours is malicious crime". The problem is not poverty, the problem is lack of law and order. I agree with what Nikita says, it should be a case of the punishment fitting the crime. We need to make examples of a few people and the rest will wonder whether their lives are worth the crime they are about to commit. Until our law and order comes right, there will always be crime because it is so easy to get away with it in this country. Yet another failure from our wonderful government.
Kaylee said:
on Friday 28-Nov-14 10:09 AM
Honestly, it comes down to the poverty in this country as well as education. The level of poverty plays an important role in crime, because its generally the poor uneducated members of society that commit crime. Its the element of survival. The government needs to step in and start at the ground. It also comes down to repercussions. People commit crime and spend min or no time in jail, they are fed in jail and have a roof over their head, then they get out again and do the same thing. We need to focus on the rehabilitation of criminals and focus on job creation for rehabilitated criminals. In terms of crimes like murder and rape, I think they should bring back the death penalty, nothing like striking a bit of fear into people's lives to prevent crime.
It really comes down to the government failing us. The SAPS are often even involved in the committing of crimes. But nothing is ever done? What are the reprecussions for a SAPS officer who commits a crime?
Maybe we should all vote for a different political party?
Maybe we should immigrate?
patrick said:
on Friday 28-Nov-14 09:57 AM
it blamed on the social system which is blue lies.
poorer countries with less job opportunities does not have this problem. the punishment system is not working properly in S.A.
just bring back death penalty it will sort the problem.
Jade said:
on Friday 28-Nov-14 09:42 AM
I'm sorry this awful thing happened to you and your family! Unfortunately, this is so common, and the same thing has happened so often to friends and family.
When I went on a European trip a couple of years ago, I met a lot of Australians. They were shocked when I explained that most South Africans live in complexes with security guards from private security companies, have burglar bars on the windows, spikes on walls, electric fences, burglar bars, alarms, beams in the garden, panic buttons on the walls, and that I have a panic button in my car that can be used outside my gate at home in case. It never occurred to me that this isn't normal. I guess it's always been like this for me. An Australian friend said she doesn't even lock her door!
I grew up in a "secure" complex, but at one point the houses on both sides of us had been robbed at gun point. I think the only reason we were not targeted was because we had nothing to steal, at that point we didn't even own a TV. Turns out the security guards were in on the robberies.
Lizanne said:
on Friday 28-Nov-14 09:11 AM
I can only thank God that nothing like this has ever happened to me yet. We stay on my husbands parents plot in the west rand and for 40 years no has ever tried to brake in. I feel very safe there and am not afraid to stay there alone. When we got married we first staid at Morgenster complex on Hendrik Potgieter, just as you cross the N14 Krugersdorp Highway. We had friends over for a braai and noticed our dog barking towards the neighbors house next to us. He normally barks if there is something or someone. My husband looked over the wall to see if he could see anything because the neighbors told us that they are going out for dinner. He could not see anything, but our dog would not stop barking. When the neighbors returned back home, he almost jumped over the wall to tell my husband that they braked into their house. They had a window open, big enough for a small child to fit in there and opened the sliding door. They cut the electric fence and carried everything over there into the field. There were no spot lights so it was pitch black and could not see anything. They were still busy when the neighbors got home because they obviously got a fright and left what ever they were busy with on the patio and in the garden. These people are so clever and quite. We waited for the police for 4 hours...how pathetic.
Catherine said:
on Friday 28-Nov-14 09:06 AM
Crime rate in this country is overly shocking. A couple of years ago i was living in a flat on second floor. I woke up at 3 am only to find a thug rummaging through my wardrobe. He had already ransacked my spare room and picked whatever he wanted. When he saw i was awake, he casually walked out of the bedroom opened the door and strolled out of the complex.He had all the time in the world so if he had wanted to rape, murder me, he would have easily done so. Am lucky in the sense that he was only interested in material things.
In another occasion living in a house, we had a break in lucky enough we managed to alert the security company before they entered the house.
I must agree a secure complex is a must
Melissa said:
on Friday 28-Nov-14 08:57 AM
Sjoe Michael, that was a horrible thing that happened to you. I will personally risk my own life to save the people that I love around me, especially my family.My parents phoned me and my brother the one day to say that we must wait for them in the tv room they are on their way home. My parents walked into the tv room and gave me and my brother a drink. I asked them what happened and they told us that they were hijacked and my father was held up with a gun. I immediately started to go crazy in that house. Luckily my mother's purse was under the seat and they just took the handbag full of makeup. I was so relieved that nothing happened to them. Like I said these criminals don't have anything better to do with their lives as to make other people's lives miserable. All these criminals must die and burn in hell for the rest of their lives. I have no sympathy for them or their family. That's why I am so negative and aggressive in life, because you can't help in to be like that. These criminals are animals they have no goal on earth. I just wish I can beat them up so bad, I just want them to feel pain once in their lives. In my eyes they don't exist. I've taught myself to always be one step ahead of these idiots.
david said:
on Friday 28-Nov-14 08:46 AM
would not consider staying anywhere other than in a complex/security estate. and even then, not on the boundary wall.
Nikita said:
on Friday 28-Nov-14 08:44 AM
Its sad that being aware of crime has to constantly be at the back of our minds. The only way we can really get this under control is to frighten them with punishment Stealing is punished with getting your hand chopped off? Unfortunately due to the fact that our justice system often fails us, these people will always be around.
Alexis said:
on Friday 28-Nov-14 08:31 AM
The crime in this country has become ridiculous. My friend whom just got his masters in Architect did his on Dark City in JHB, the presentation and the comments were astounding, most of the criminals he met were nonchalant with regards to what they did.
Immigrants will come here if they have no other choice
The quality of this country and what people have to deal with on a daily basis is sad and the government dies nothing but fill their own pockets
I am with Bianca on the fact that I would never live in a secluded house, it is far more safer to be in a complex or estate as the chances of being robbed are less
Bianca R said:
on Friday 28-Nov-14 08:21 AM
I would never live anywhere else than in an estate of complex, I lived in a house with my parents for years and we have numerous attempted in break in's and it is just not worth having a stand alone house if you are constantly looking over your shoulder for the next act of crime. You can have the most advanced security system and stay in a house and still be at risk. The biggest reason for crime is unemployment and our country's unemployment rate is extremely high. People steal because they do not have a job and cannot provide for themselves or their families - this does not give you a reason to steal but some feel they have no other choice. Then there is serious crime such as murder and rape, that you cannot blame on unemployment. Our government needs to instill harsher punishment for criminals. The fact that you can commit crime and get away it does not make anyone scared to do anything wrong, our justice system is so pathetic you can murder and basically do whatever the hell you please without any consequences.
Johannesburg based attorney specializing in personal injury matters including Road Accident Fund claims and medical negligence matters. My interests include golf, reading and the internet and the way it is constantly developing. I have a passion for life and a desire for less stress!
