SOUTH AFRICA: President Thabo Mbeki used his State of the Nation address yesterday to declare that serious crime was falling in South Africa as a result of improved police work, including better border controls. Rising crime rates have been used by domestic critics to attack the Mbeki administration and are also seen as a potential deterrent to investment.
But murders had fallen by 8 per cent over the past year, motor theft by 5.4 per cent and robbery by 5.9 per cent, Mr Mbeki told parliament in a speech traditionally used to list government achievements and goals. While some crimes - such as aggravated robbery and child abuse - showed an increase, he said, the government was confident of meeting its target of cutting the rate of violent crimes by 7-10 per cent a year. "The progress that we are making in dealing with crime is manifest in the ongoing reduction in the rates," he said.
South Africa has one of the world's highest murder rates. Mr Mbeki's government has since last year recruited an extra 8,000 policemen and allocated 2.3 billion rand (€291 million) to improve police salaries. Low pay is often cited as a reason for police corruption. The president, who was elected to a second and final five-year term with 70 per cent of the popular vote last year, has set his government a long list of ambitious targets. His address to a joint sitting of members of parliament, provincial leaders and diplomats focused in large part on efforts to speed economic growth and reduce unemployment. To improve infrastructure and help promote job creation, Pretoria is targeting investment in excess of 180 billion rand (€2,288 million) in transport logistics, electricity and water resources.