Who’s to Blame: Unemployment, High-Crime Rate, Inequality, and Corruption in South Africa

South Africa is a country naturally rich in resources and is the world’s highest platinum producer but despite all of that, about 18.2 million South Africans are living in extreme poverty. South Africa also happens to be one of the world’s most unequal countries. 

South Africa is the world's biggest producer of gold, platinum, chromium, vanadium, manganese and alumino-silicates. It also produces nearly 40% of the world's chrome and vermiculite. Durban is the largest port in Africa and the ninth largest in the world. South Africa generates two-thirds of Africa's electricity.

When considering all the accolades that South Africa has attained along with the contribution it has made on the world stage as citizens of this beloved country we must ask ourselves how is it that so many live in poverty. Why is it that so many citizens have to live in fear and uncertainty daily?

The major challenges that South Africa faces are unemployment, increasing poverty, a high crime rate, an incompetent government, and a lack of service delivery. The unemployment rate was at 32.6% in the second quarter from 32.9 % in the first quarter of 2023. An Estimated 399 thousand people received employment in the third quarter of 2023. This shows a quarterly decrease, but it is still not much of a difference when looking at the bigger picture even though government officials tend to celebrate it is but a fraction of citizens joining the workforce. The country and all the citizens would instead expect a 10% decrease in unemployment figures as something to be celebrated by the government. 

In 2023, South Africa ranked first in the crime index among African countries, with a score of 75.5 index points according to www.statista.com/ making it one of the most dangerous countries in the world, with house break-ins being the most common criminal activity. When we ask ourselves what motivates a fellow National Citizen to commit a crime such as house break-ins then we cannot look away from the terrible impoverished conditions that the culprits must live under as motivating factors driving them to commit such acts. The Lack of service delivery is another infuriating factor that contributes to South African citizen’s issues, which is entirely closely linked to the incompetence of the government. 

A High incidence of crime has adverse consequences for both individuals and firms, in terms of firm investment, sales, and employment, increasing country risk premium (cost of doing business) and thereby could deter both domestic and foreign investment, contributing to loss of output and reduced hours of operation. Using US state-level crime data, Raphael and Winter‐Ebmer (2001) found that crime rates can rise and fall with unemployment. It is possible that violent crimes may not have anything to do with business cycles, but non-violent crimes can be counter-cyclical. Considering data analysis and logic it is plausible for any citizen unable to draw a distinction between unemployment and crime as contributing to the downfall of South Africa and linking this to the controlling powers of the country. 

Is the South African government financially savvy? Citizens of South Africa must ask this question and debate the topic frequently.

Recent evidence points out that the government of South Africa is not financially savvy and it does not have its priorities in order. The South African government is unable to deal with the most critical issues first. The government of South Africa is also incapable of dealing with the root causes of the issues that present dire conditions for the citizens in the long run, it instead focuses on the surface trying to bandage day-to-day challenges but not preventing the destructive issues from happening again. Consequently for the South African government to be a better version of itself, the most important issues need to be tackled first. For example, focusing on the electricity crisis before working on changing the name of a town makes way more sense.

Enforcing the law when it comes to government officials and leading figures is imperative as the lack of accountability is bringing South Africa to her knees, investing more into education and skills development programs, and at the same time dealing with the unemployment crisis, would help with our issues involving lawlessness. Most people believe that unemployment is the major contributor to South Africa’s crime rate and we must consider the thought process behind this belief to be true when taking into account the high unemployment rates compared to the high crime rates within South Africa. Our government can be too lenient at times; allowing people rights does not necessarily mean people should get away with serious crimes. Crime can also be the result of a lack of education, because having an education increases your chances of employment, meaning you would not have to turn to crime.

Currently, the government states that the National Development Plan (NDP), which offers a long-term outlook, aims to eliminate poverty and reduce inequality in South Africa by 2030. For now, we can only hope and pray that they reach this goal. We must also use our powers as National Citizens to apply the most needed pressure on all forms of government to assert that competence and compliance are met by all institutions serving the public.