The New South Africa

By Karen Breytenbach

Almost a fifth of South African men have raped a woman at least once in their lives, the South African Medical Research Council (MRC) has disclosed in releasing its annual report.

The MRC's Gender and Health Research Unit interviewed 1 370 men between the ages of 15 and 26 about sexual violence towards women.

About eight percent of respondents reported having been sexually violent towards their intimate partner, while 16.3 percent reported raping a non-partner or participating in some form of gang-rape.

By Renee Moodie

Eighty percent of people who voted in an IOL poll believe that South Africa will not be ready to host the 2010 soccer World Cup.

The poll was based partly on a Business Report article, quoting construction giant Murray & Roberts as saying that there will be no room to extend time for construction of stadiums for the World Cup as it takes a minimum of 36 months to build a "specification stadium" without a roof.

A total of 1 035 people voted on the question “Do you think our infrastructure will be ready before the start of the 2010 Soccer World Cup?”, with 213 – or 20 percent - saying yes, and 832 - or 80 percent - saying no.

• The infrastructure is not there (rob).
  
• Hell will freeze over before we are ready for 2010 (Adele).
  
• This country is not yet ready to host a function of this magnitude (MarkN).
  
• Just look at your current headlines - R89-million lost by Marine & Coastal Management, Hammanskral school buildings in shambles, Zuma best choice to head SA etc etc. You make up your own mind (zil).
  
• By the time 2010 comes along, half the money allocated will be stolen, there will be investigations but no convictions, there will be internal fighting in the football union, the building contractrors will have gone on strike, SARFU will be running around like chickens with no heads with the begging bowl in both hands pleading with anyone who will help, the cement supplies will have dried up and most of all the qualified and competent skilled labout will have been chased from the country by the ANC. (Imboriako)
  
• Germany knew which roads would be closed and how traffic would be routed 4 YEARS before the World Cup kicked off. We are nowhere near that sort of organisation. That is the difference between First World and Third World mentality. There will be allegations of missing money, worker strikes before this is over. (Anton)
  
  Those who think we will be ready said:
  

• Yet another opportunity for white South Africans to shoot their country down. Clearly so few of you know much about the rest of the world. remember that Fifa (except for one corrupt new zealander) thought we were just as good as Germany for the 2006 world cup. (Anon).
  
• We have a more transparent government than any in the world. We have a huge and cheap labour force to build our stadiums. Our country is one of the top 10 international conference venues in the world and we have hosted world cup cricket and rugby events. We have no reasons not to be ready and we have more skills than most places in the world. (Goliath)
  
  
• I definitely think we'll be ready. If Fifa believes we can do it, why can't we? Everyone else thinks it's possible, it's up to us to be positive and stop complaining. Many people lament that South Africa's spirit is gone. I think 2010 is a perfect opportunity for us all just to have a little faith and work together. (Rose)
  
• As long as we start soon, we'll be OK. There are too many in SA that are automatically negative. We've hosted huge events before (World Cups and WSSD) without a problem, so let's just get to work! (Duncan)
  
  Some who simply hope we will be ready said:
  
  
• Call us optimistic, denial or whatever we will be ready for our World Cup!!!! It also took Germans 36 months to complete some of their stadiums. on the year of the tournament their stadiums were completed. 2010 here we come!!!!! (Zolani)
  
• As a South African and a proud one at that, I can only hope that all will be ready, but like anything in life nothing is guaranteed. (merylin)
  
  And some took a more complex stance:
  
  
• I'm sure we will do what is needed for 4 weeks of football. My concern is that the R20,000,000,0000 or whatever could be spent in a better way and not simply for a football tournament leaving, among other things, magnificent empty football stadia. What benefit will accrue to shack dwellers, unemployed, victims of the high crime rate, inadequate transport system used by millions every day, people not near World Cup venues ??
  
• If the stadiums are ready in time, it will be because of the Government eventually throwing all the money they have at the project in order to keep face. It will not be because of their good planning etc. (Anon)

By Janine du Plessis

Parents in Eersterus, near Pretoria, say they are panicking over the high incidence of violent crime in their community.

In the past month alone two children were raped, a young woman's badly bruised body was found and a young man was killed in a shooting at a pub.

Parents and children with placards calling for the death penalty gathered outside the police station at the weekend, wanting to know why the authorities "do not care about what is going on in the area".

Many of the parents who protested against the increase in violent crimes had themselves lost a child to crime.

The rape and murder of eight-year-old Janine Rooi, whose body was found on a hilltop after she went missing for a week in September, shook the community. Then the badly swollen and bruised body of Fabiana Daniels, 25, was found in the playground of a local school.

The latest victim is a three-year-old, who was raped a little over a week ago and is still recovering in Pretoria Academic Hospital.

The little girl's aunt and guardian, Nellie Vos, said the perpetrator had slammed her hard on the floor, hurting her forehead. "Her eyes are still swollen. I pray for her health."

She said the man was attacked by community members. "They stoned him and hit him with sticks. He is in hospital after what they did to him," said Vos.

Police confirmed that a rape case had been opened, but could not say whether the suspect had been attacked.

Vos said crime had been bad for years, but it was now out of control. "It is dangerous here. I am scared to leave my house because I do not know what these criminals have planned," said Vos.

Betty Kleynhans lost her 28-year-old son when he was shot 11 times by a gang 10 years ago.

She said that a young man was buried after a shooting incident at the Play Time bar the previous weekend.

Police spokesperson Brenda Kgafela confirmed the incident. "Four or five men bought beer and when they went back to their car they were confronted by a group. Several shots were fired at them.

"One was hit in the leg and rushed to hospital, but another was shot in the neck and died on the scene," she said.

The organiser of the protest, Ingrid Louw, said the community had to unite to fight crime.

"We do not get enough support from the rest of the community. People do not know what is going on here," said Louw.

Janine's father, still visibly upset by the murder of his daughter, attended the protest. Cornelius Rooi said although the family had received much support from the community at Janine's funeral "this is not about my child - it is about the next victim".

He said he was hurt by the blatant lies the police had told the media about their investigation into her disappearance a week prior to the discovery of her body.

"What I have realised is that if you have money then you have a lot in this country. When it comes to poor communities the police do not care. If I had lived in Brooklyn they would have searched for my child 24 hours a day. I do not know why they built a new police station because the crime is still increasing.

"Our kids are dying. Every time I hear of another victim it opens up the wounds and I feel the pain of the parents," said Rooi.

Another concerned resident said the criminals knew the police force was small in Eersterus. Anthony Phillips said the police could not even supply two sniffer dogs to help in the search for Janine. "When the community launched a search and found the body we still had to wait over four hours for someone to take her body down the hill.

"The police again could not supply a helicopter to carry her body," said an upset Phillips.

Dolores Williams lost her child three years ago in a shooting incident and feels the community was traumatised after the last month's incidents.

"We need a place where people can be counselled, not only the parents but the siblings too because they are the ones who become angry at the world. If, as a community, we can be seen to, it will help," she said.

However, she said there were many good people and things in Eersterus. "The police must just see to these elements in the area," she said.

By Chiara Carter

The sheriff of Cape Town is drowning in a sea of unserved subpoenas and summons for MPs and government officials at parliament. And, judging from the large number of debt-related demands, many officials and MPs in turn, are battling to keep their heads above water.

The sheriff, Hennie Hurter, said: "There are a stack of these things, but we battle to get to serve them."

The papers piling up in the sheriff's office - between 20 and 30 a month - relate to matters ranging from garnishee orders for deductions from salaries to maintenance claims and unpaid debts.

The targets of the sheriff's unwelcome attentions include Chief Whip Mbulelo Goniwe, whom Hurter has unsuccessfully tried to subpoena for a maintenance hearing in the Eastern Cape. But Goniwe , and the others are shielded by parliamentary privilege.

A hijacker was killed and a crime victim wounded in a crime spree in Port Elizabeth on Monday, police said.

Captain Verna Brink said three men first hijacked a Polo in Kwazakhele, which they drove to Salt Lake.

Once there they rammed into a bakkie in which a tavern owner was carrying money.

The bakkie overturned, and the robbers shot the owner in the stomach before taking the money and fleeing on foot.

A few streets up, the men hijacked a Toyota Tazz.

Once in the car, the owner of the Tazz shot the hijacker who was driving in the head. He died instantly.