CMY3706/1/2016 60159189 iii CMY3706 Contents ORIENTATION iii THEME 1: INCIDENCE OF VIOLENT CRIME 1 STUDY UNIT 1.1 Incidence of violent crime 1 THEME 2: INTERPERSONAL VIOLENCE 35 STUDY UNIT 2.1 Interpersonal violence 35 THEME 3: INTERRELATED AND INTRA-RELATED VIOLENCE 66 STUDY UNIT: 3.1 Taxi conflicts, violence and wars in South Africa 66 STUDY UNIT 3.2 Political crime 91 STUDY UNIT 3.3 Xenophobia 107 STUDY UNIT 3.4 Terrorism 117 THEME 4: GANGS AND PRISON VIOLENCE 142 STUDY UNIT 4.1 Gangs and prison violence 142 THEME 5: ROBBERIES 159 STUDY UNIT 5.1 The crime of robbery 159 STUDY UNIT 5.2 Vehicle hijackings 173 STUDY UNIT 5.3 Cash-in-transit (CIT) robberies 189 STUDY UNIT 5.4 Robberies at business premises 205 STUDY UNIT 5.5 House robberies 218 STUDY UNIT 5.6 Attacks on farms and smallholdings 244 STUDY UNIT 5.7 Attacks on and murders of police officers in South Africa 262 iv CMY3706 Orientation Welcome to CMY3706. We, the lecturers, hope that you will find this module both stimulating and relevant to the present South African situation of increasing and challenging problems regarding crime. It is advisable to begin studying this CMY3706 module by reading through Tutorial Letter 101 for the course. In CMY3706, we emphasise the principles of outcomes-based learning, learner- centredness, lifelong learning, critical creative thought, nation-building, non- discrimination, promoting the benefits of the higher-education system, and quality assurance. This module aims to provide you with an understanding of selected types of violent crime, to endorse critical-thinking patterns, and to develop knowledge and problem-solving skills. After you have completed the module, you should have acquired sufficient knowledge of, insight into and understanding of the study material so as to be able to answer a range of multiple-choice questions (MCQs) and essay type based on the study guide content (i.e. for self-evaluation, assignment and examination purposes). This module deals mainly with selected aspects of violent crime in South Africa, compared, where necessary, with international trends. We refer to both national and international crime situations, and, where relevant, use practical examples to help you understand the issue under discussion. The focus of CMY3706 is topical on selected South African violent crimes such as domestic violence, rape, taxi violence, political crime, xenophobia, terrorism, gang crime and various categories of armed robbery. Overview of the module We cover the following five themes in this module: Theme 1: This theme deals with the incidence of violent crime, with special emphasis on a general definition of violent crime, problems pertaining to interpretations of crime trends, the discussion of national and international crime trends, and, lastly, the various factors contributing to violent crime in South Africa. Theme 2: This theme concentrates on selected types of interpersonal violence, with special reference to various forms of domestic violence and violence against children. An overview of relevant scientific explanations pertaining to interpersonal violence is also provided. Theme 3: Theme 3 highlights "inter" and "intra" types of violence, such as taxi violence, political crimes, xenophobia and terrorism. The theme provides a general overview of each phenomenon and, where applicable, gives a brief history of the phenomenon concerned. It also covers the causes, motives and modus operandi relating to the phenomenon, as well as the statistical analysis thereof and the impact on the victim's community. Theme 4: This theme outlines gang involvement in general, and it discusses violent gangs in South African prisons. Here, once again, we provide an overview and, where applicable, elaborate on said overview. In addition, we discuss the dynamics of gangs, the types of prison gangs and the various forms of gang violence in prisons. v CMY3706 Theme 5: This theme sketches robberies in South Africa, with special reference to robbery in general, vehicle hijacking, cash-in-transit robberies and, lastly, robberies at both residential and commercial premises. As with the other themes in this module, theme 5 concentrates on providing a general overview of various types of violent crime, and, where relevant, explains the motives, various types of robberies and attacks, modus operandi, causes, characteristics of victims and perpetrators, and prevention measures. Assignments Tutorial Letter 101 contains the assignments for this module. You need to pass these assignments to be allowed to write the examination. These assignments (comprised of essay-type questions and MCQ’s) have been designed to promote the development of your knowledge, insight, values, attitudes and skills. Both the assignments and the examination will be in the form of essay-type questions and MCQ’s. 1 CMY3706 THEME 1 INCIDENCE OF VIOLENT CRIME Prof A E Hesselink Mr VZ Mtshali STUDY UNIT 1.1 Violent crime CONTENTS 1.1.1 Introduction 1.1.2 Definition of key concepts 1.1.2.1 Violent crime 1.1.2.2 Prevention of violent crime 1.1.3 Problems with comparisons of crime in different countries 1.1.4 International crime trends 1.1.5 South African crime trends 1.1.5.1 Sexual crimes 1.1.6 Factors contributing to violent crime 1.1.6.1 The period of transition 1.1.6.2 A violent past 1.1.6.3 A culture of violence 1.1.6.4 Rapid urbanisation 1.1.6.5 Vigilantism 1.1.6.6 HIV/AIDS 1.1.6.7 Conditions conducive to the growth in organised crime 1.1.6.8 A weak criminal-justice system 1.1.6.9 Dysfunctional families and parents 1.1.6.10 The cycle of violence and abuse 1.1.6.11 Peer group influence and associations 1.1.6.12 Socio-economic conditions associated with violent crime 1.1.6.13 Gender differences and violent crime 1.1.6.14 Other factors related to violent crime 1.1.7 Prevention of violent crime 1.1.8 Summary 1.1.9 Feedback on activities 1.1.10 Self-evaluation questions 1.1.11 Answers to self-evaluation questions 1.1.12 List of references LEARNING OUTCOMES When you have worked through this study unit, you should be able to: • define violent crime and provide examples of forms of violent crime • define prevention of violent crime and provide examples thereof • provide an overview of the problems relating to crime comparisons between countries 2 THEME 1 CMY3706 • outline international crime trends pertaining to violent crime • list violent-crime trends in South Africa • name and discuss the various factors associated with violent crime in South Africa • name and discuss measures to prevent violent crime 1.1.1 INTRODUCTION Violence deeply influences every aspect of life in South Africa. National and international headlines pertaining to the ‘brutal rape and evisceration of Anene Booysen’ (who was raped and murdered in the Western Cape); ‘the murder of Reeva Steenkamp at the hands of her famous athlete boyfriend Oscar Psitorius’; and ‘phone images of police dragging taxi driver Mido Macia behind a police van in Daveyton while crowds watched’ (who died in police custody) imitate a view of South Africa that the world has become used to (Gould 2013:1). In line with this, Dixon (2013:1) proposes that “South Africa has some of the world’s highest rates of violent crime” … this is evident in the sight of burglar bars, electric fences, high walls, and shocking media reports of violent crime that have become an everyday phenomena (Dixon 2013:1). In 1990, Stevens (1990:153) stated that the use of violence by people against other people is as old as the human race itself, beginning with Abel's murder by Cain, his brother, as indicated in the Bible. Brown, Esbensen and Geis (2001:421) stated that, despite the reasonable concerns about the safety in society, we should appreciate that not all violence is necessarily bad. For example, violence directed at the enemy, such as that which defeated Germany in World War II, may have prevented greater social and personal harm. To reinforce the idea that not all violence is necessarily bad, it is argued that the distressing and extraordinary feature of crime in South Africa is not how common it is, but how violent it is. It is further argued by Collins (2013:30) that, instead of focusing on violent crime as a specific type of criminality, we should examine violence as a separate category that sometimes overlaps with crime and sometimes does not. For example, some crimes such as murder, robbery, assault and rape are intrinsically violent, while others, such as theft and fraud, are not (Collins 2013:30). Despite the above arguments, the description of violent crime will always contain the common element of violence; hence the prevalence of violent crime is regarded by most communities as a serious social problem that affects the quality of life of everyone in society. Consequently, violent offences receive a great deal of publicity in the media, which often creates the impression of an exceptionally high incidence of violent crime involving increased brutality and cruelty. This, in itself, creates a sense of insecurity among citizens. Violent crime, in particular, creates a sense of fear and helplessness, as well as the perception that crime is out of control and that the state is unable to deal with the crime problem. Violent crime contributes to the loss, through emigration, of people with professional skills, which has a further negative impact on the population and economy of the country. It tends to make people apprehensive, which, in turn, may give rise to vigilante action and politically inspired violence (Brown et al 2001:446-447). 3 THEME 1 CMY3706 In South Africa, violent crime is a worrying phenomenon.