Reg Rumney
Crime and violence have pushed their way to the top of the list of business people’s concerns.
Business respondents to the Weekly Mail & Guardian survey put prevention of crime and violence as the top priority of the Government of National Unity (38 percent of respondents). Job creation is second, and ensuring delivery of promises third.
In the previous survey, conducted 16 months ago, the incoming government’s top priority was seen as job creation (34 percent of respondents) with violence and crime coming in third at only 13 percent.
In the latest survey, concern about crime crops up again in responses to questions about fears for the future.
The greatest fears for the future were violence, crime and political instability (30 percent).
Next came fears that the GNU would disintegrate (24 percent); and that South Africa would become a “banana republic” where famine and political strife prevail (23 percent).
By comparison, 1993 business respondents mentioned economic mismanagement as their greatest fear, and few alluded to political instability.