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- The 2023 Violence Survey by RCS, BNP Paribas, and WPDI reveals the detrimental impact of violent crime on the mental health of employees and community well-being in South Africa.
- High-risk areas in Cape Town, including Kraaifontein, Bellville, Kuils River, Goodwood, Delft, Mfuleni, Blackheath, Table View and Belhar were surveyed.
- Despite a decline in violence, concerns persist, with 77% feeling unsafe in communities.
Violent crime in South Africa has a detrimental impact on the mental health of employees and the wellbeing of communities.
This according to the 2023 Violence Survey conducted by RCS in partnership with BNP Paribas and the Whitaker Peace and Development Initiative (WPDI).
The main areas surveyed in Cape Town include high-risk communities in Kraaifontein, Bellville, Kuils River, Goodwood, Delft, Mfuleni, Blackheath, Table View and Belhar.
Two sample groups were surveyed: individuals within communities and corporates from a broad spectrum of sectors including construction, retail, hospitality and financial services.
“The aim of the survey is to gain understanding of the effects of violence in vulnerable communities and local business,” said human resources executive Sandy Richardson during the virtual launch last Wednesday.
Although the 2023 results paint a picture of declining violence across several key categories, she says, the impact thereof remains a deep concern.
Chief Financial Officer at RCS Tonia Pavlou said the country, in terms of crime, is up against a unique set of challenges.
“With a stagnant economic growth and the highest Gini coefficient in the world there is a big divide between the have’s and the have nots. This is driven by the high unemployment rate, low wages and high income distribution at the top end,” she said.
She stressed that the overall levels of violence and feelings of unsafety remains high in the country with 77% of the sample group saying they feel unsafe in their communities.
A total of 85% of the respondents said the main contributors of crime was load shedding and 83%, the hight cost of living.
According to Pavlou, the latest crime statistics revealed crime trends that saw an increase in common assault, common robbery and other contact crimes (at an average of about 2,9%), while murders slightly decreased by 0,8%. Rapes decreased with 0,7%, however attempted sexual offences increased by 4,3%.
Distressingly, South Africa ranked 130 out of 163 countries in the Global Peace Index of 2023, dropping eight places. On the safety and security index, which looks specifically at criminality, political instability, violence and unrest, South Africa ranks in the bottom 20 – 144th out of 163 – just ahead of Ukraine.
Self protection
A worrying trend, according to the survey, was a 10% drop in the number of cases being reported to the police. This because of a growing distrust in law enforcement officials.
“Consumers are leaning towards self protection over community partnerships in tackling violence,” says Siphathisiwe Dhlamini, conflict resolution and peace building expert at WPDI.
“Overall, there has been an 8% decrease from 2022 in the impact of violence on the respondents’ physical or mental ability to do their jobs effectively. However, there has been an annual increase of 4% in the impact of violence on general psychological distress.”
Desensitised
Dhlamini says the persistent threat of violence in daily life appears to have desensitised South Africans.
“The survey indicated the significant impact violence has on the community,” she says.
According to numbers, 49% of men and 32% of women reported a loss of income or jobs. Among school children and students, 70% overall reported being absent or coming late at schools and colleges; and 65% of men and 69% of women reported that their job efficacy was affected by either physical or mental ability.
Richardson says the impact of violence on South African business can have wide read affects in absenteeism and presenteeism, in case of the latter where employees are at work but can’t perform their duties properly due to mental health.
“In 2023, corporates reported higher than average absenteeism. A total of 58% of corporates reported that community violence is a major contributing factor to absenteeism, while 62% said that absenteeism hampered business productivity. Additionally, 91% of corporates noted an increased impact on employees’ mental health and well-being compared to 2022.”
She says it has become more evident that the effort to combat violence and offer proper support to victims must begin with a partnership involving communities, police and corporates.
“Law enforcement officers need to be upskilled to deal with victims of violent crimes with more empathy and corporates need to be the pillars in society to promote mental well-being to create a culture of resilience in the country.”
