By Malundo Kudiqueba
Thirty years after the end of apartheid, South Africa remains immersed in a social crisis, with violent crime as its most visible and painful expression. The promise of freedom, justice, and security for all, made during the golden days of Nelson Mandela, has been gradually eroded by decades of corruption, poor governance, and a system that continues to fail the poorest. The black majority government, which inherited a country marked by extreme inequality, has so far failed to effectively confront one of the greatest threats to its democracy: crime.
The statistics are staggering. Robberies, murders, rapes, and assaults have become part of the daily life of millions of South Africans. In the urban outskirts, where the youth are desperate for jobs and food, crime is often seen as an emergency exit. This is not merely opportunistic crime — it is also crime born out of survival, rooted in hunger, chronic unemployment, lack of opportunity, and hopelessness.
We can no longer pretend we do not know the causes. Violence in South Africa did not emerge out of nowhere. It springs daily from neighborhoods without basic sanitation, where schools operate without teachers, where hospitals have no medicine, and where the police are either corrupt or absent. The root of crime lies in social and economic exclusion. And the government is fully aware of this.
That is why it is time for South African politicians to assume their share of responsibility. It is no longer enough to blame colonialism, apartheid, or the legacies of the white regime. The era of political victimhood is over. The people need solutions, not excuses. The African National Congress (ANC), which led the struggle against the segregationist regime and has ruled since 1994, has lost its way. Between corruption scandals, unfulfilled promises, and a political class more concerned with personal gain than with the collective good, it has failed the people who once elected it with hope.
Some argue that criticizing a black government in Africa is giving ammunition to colonial nostalgia. But fair and well-founded criticism is, in fact, an act of love for democracy. A black majority government has the moral obligation to govern better — not just because it inherited a racist state, but because it was elected to reverse that legacy. Sadly, what we are witnessing is a reproduction of the very practices once condemned: inequality, police violence, lack of transparency, and negligence toward the most vulnerable.
South Africa needs a moral and ethical revolution within its political system. It needs leaders who are not content with quoting Mandela in speeches, but who live by his values in practice. It needs a professional, well-trained, and well-paid police force that serves the people and is not feared by them. It needs a judicial system that works for everyone — not just for the rich. But above all, it needs jobs, food on the table, and hope for the future.
As long as black youth continue to grow up without access to a dignified life, crime will be the rule, not the exception. Crime is not combated simply with more prisons, but with more social justice. The fight against crime begins with the creation of opportunities. And that is the responsibility of those who govern.
Manchester, May 23, 2025
Malundo Kudiqueba
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