I spotted this blast from the past. It is well worth revisiting comments I made years ago, and comparing what Mbeki said then, with what I wrote here on AfricanCrisis and then seeing how things panned out.

In the article below from News24, posted on 21st May 2004, President Mbeki said they would hunt down the Top 200 criminals and we’d see 150,000 Police on the streets.

Now keep in mind that just barely weeks back, Charles Nqakula told wealthy British investors about the 101 different things he was going to do to solve the crime problem. I pooh poohed what Nqakula said.

Read what Mbeki said back in 2004. It was in a very similar vein.

Here are some comments from Mbeki then:-
Although showing a marked decrease in recent years, violent crime in South Africa remains a major concern, especially in the light of the country’s successful bid to host the 2010 Soccer World Cup.

“We will ensure that by 2006 there will be 152,000 officers on active duty in the South African Police Service,” Mbeki said.

It is now May 2007 – 3 years later. And is crime any different? In fact… crime is driving people even crazier now than in 2004.

But take a look at my comments on crime in 2004 and see how relevant they are. They’re as relevant in 2007 as in 2004. I wrote:-

As if this actually means anything. All these bold-sounding statements are meant to make us think that the Government and Police are cracking down on crime. One sees the Police coming out in massive force in huge operations. But, it changes nothing because any criminals caught will soon be slipping out either via technicalities or via our legal system and they’ll soon be back on the streets. So what if they catch the top 200 criminals. Its a drop in the ocean, and they’ll all be back on the streets within months or a few years at the most. Meanwhile there’s probably 100,000 other criminals out there who will never be caught.

Here is the original full article:-

S.Africa: Hunt on for top 200 criminals

As the French say, “The more things change, the more they stay the same.”

That’s my view: ANC rule is ANC rule. The results will always be the same. Under ANC rule, blacks will get poorer; crime will increase and the country will sink ever more.

The big mistake people around the world and inside S.Africa made was to think that the ANC can solve the problems of S.Africa. But the ANC IS THE PROBLEM! The problems will not go away until we get rid of the ANC. Jan.