The Poor Person´s Life of Crime

The death sentence. People don't usually think of this punishment for many crimes, but South Africa might be forced to enforce the sentence more often than not due to the amounts of crimes happening around the country. The poverty in South Africa has majorly been affecting the rates of crime, which in turn is causing South Africa to become even less cultured as it could be.

With nearly 46% of the population living in poverty,(BBC) almost half of South Africa is essentially at risk to become criminals, simply because their poor background and upbringing. These issues restricts South Africa´s abilities because it blackens a reputation that can be deemed respectable as it continues to dig itself out of the hole that is Apartheid. The black and white discrimination is not the only barrier that it faces, the schism between the poor and everyone else. This in turn leads crime to be strongly affected by the poverty of many.

In 2007, there were 18,545 murders, 54, 926 rapes, and 2,320 kidnappings in South Africa.(Biles) These staggering numbers shows the violence and lack of competent policing in the country. These being staggering numbers, the crime actually is in more impoverished communities. For many of those living in poorer communities, crime, gangs in this case, can be one of the only ways to acquire income because of how hard it is to obtain a better job. (Simpson) Many do not see an escape from their life as it is, so their turn to crime to try and provide for their families and themselves through this. When the general population was asked about this, three quarters of the two thousand asked, believed that crime was mainly caused by poverty(News 24). Though a majority see poverty as the root problem, some see the problem being a lack of education (SA Crime). This lack of education causes youth and others like that to not understand other choices and opportunities there are. To help with this issue SA Crime believes that there should be a stricter punishment for crimes, even going as far as to say the death sentence should be used more commonly.

Unfortunately, crime and poverty remain a large problem in South Africa. These two issues have a profound effect on the country as a whole. One case in a rural village describes the murder of a quiet, working man who had no connections with crime in the evening(Smith). This not only shows the lengths that people are willing to go in order to maintain a job or get money. These would strongly affect the daily life of many living in this environment. When many people live off a wage of 1.25$. This is not 1.25$ per hour even, it is 1.25$ per day (Otachi). This wage all but forces some to find other sources of income strongly influencing the lives of citizens living with this conditions.

Because of these glaring issues of poverty and crime, the South African people have been unable to accomplish what they have to experience on a diurnal routine. These problems force them to fall to places that shouldn't be fallen to and cause dangers to be found everywhere they look. The government has been pressured about this issue for years now, but only suggestions and ideas have been made to try and help solve these issues.(BBC) Where will this stop? How will it be fixed? These questions have to be continually asked to try and improve the people´s lives and as the days go on, more and more South African citizens will be afflicted with  these problems making them pass them on from one generation to the next.

'Poverty the Root Cause of Crime'" News24. 06 Oct. 2008. Web. 05 Mar. 2016

"Is Poverty the Cause of Crime?" Crime in South Africa. Web. 07 Mar. 2016.

Biles, Peter. "BBC NEWS | Africa | South Africa Debates Crime Rates." BBC News. BBC, 05 Feb. 2007. Web. 04 Mar. 2016.
"Urban Crime and Violence in South Africa." Urban Crime and Violence in South Africa. Web. 08 Mar. 2016.

Smith, David. "Calls for Inequality to Be Tackled in South Africa as Violent Crime Rises." The Guardian. Guardian News and Media, 01 Oct. 2015. Web. 07 Mar. 2016.

"The Truth About Crime In South Africa." The Truth About Crime In South Africa. Web. 07 Mar. 2016.

"ISS Africa | Monograph 14: Stolen Opportunities: The Impact of Crime on South Africa`s Poor, By Antoinette Louw and Mark Shaw."ISS Africa. Web. 05 Mar. 2016.