Advertisements appeared in South African newspapers on Tuesday calling on President Thabo Mbeki to get a grip on the alarming crime rate as he prepares for his annual State of the Nation address.
The PSG Group, a Cape Town-based financial-service provider, published an open letter in which it urged Mbeki to ”show us you care”, only days after one of the country’s leading banks decided not to go ahead with a similar campaign.
”We can only contribute in a stable South Africa. Crime is now threatening the very fabric of our society,” read the PSG advert.
”Show us that you care; you are serious about eradicating crime; and you earnestly wish to protect South Africans against criminals and foreign gangs feasting on the innocent.”
Mbeki, who is due to make his keynote speech to Parliament on Friday, has come under fire recently for stating that the majority of South Africans do not feel that crime is out of control.
First National Bank (FNB) — one of the country’s big-four lenders, which includes a number of government departments among its clients — recently pulled a similar campaign after already paying R20-million in advertising space, urging readers to write to Mbeki.
The bank reportedly backed down under pressure from fellow business leaders who were wary of angering the South African president.
In the ensuing furore, other business leaders have voiced their dismay over levels of crime.
South Africa has one of highest crime rates in the world, with 18 528 murders reported in the country of 46-million over the 2005/06 financial year, according to national crime statistics. — AFP
