Stab-proof vests for soccer fans going to South Africa for the World Cup
Published 21 January 2010
This summer’s soccer World Cup in South Africa is going to be poorly attended because many soccer fans have decided not to make the trip: they are not convinced they will be safe in the crime-ridden country; a London-based company hopes to capitalize on this fear by offering soccer fans stab-proof vests; the South African authorities condemn the venture
Protektorvest's stab-vest // Source: Protektorvest
South Africa is one of the most crime-ridden societies in the world. Some South African officials congratulate themselves on the downward trend in murders in the country, but the figures are not pretty. Official reports say that there were “only” 18,148 murders in South Africa during the 2008-9 period (more precisely: April 2008 to March 2009 – the last period for which figures are available; the number of murders in the 2003-4 period was 19,824).This means that the murder rate in the country is 38.6 murders per 100,000 citizens. The world’s average for murder is 5 per 100 000.
If you went to Ellis Park Rugby Ground, which seats about 50,000 spectators, to watch the Springboks in a test match, 18 of those who came to watch the game would be killed before the year is over.
By way of comparison: South Africa’s 18,148 murders occurred in a country of 49,000,000 people. The United States, with 307,000,000 people, had 16,204 murders during the same period.
The Pretoria-based Institute for Security studies offers grim – and more disturbing – crime statistics. Here are some more numbers for the April 2008 to March 2009 period:
- Murders – 18,148
- Culpable homicide – 12,571
- Total sexual crimes – 70,514
- Attempted murder – 18,298
- Assaults with intent to inflict grievous bodily harm – 203,777
- Common assault – 193,828
- Robbery with aggravated circumstances – 121,392
- Common robbery – 59,232
- Malicious damage to property – 134,261
- Burglary at business premises – 70,009
- Burglary at residential premises – 246,616
- Drug-related crime – 117,172
- Theft other than vehicle – 394,124
- Commercial crime – 77,474
- Carjacking – 14,915
Murders may be trending slightly down, but in many other crime categories the trend is upward.
Presenting the numbers above another way: during every 24-hour period – 1,440 minutes – there are 1,054 reported crimes:
- 50 murders
- 39 carjacking
- 27 business robberies
- 39 house robberies
- 575 assaults
- 324 robberies with aggravating circumstances
Official police reports do not list the rape statistics (there is a reference to “Total sexual crimes,” but no details).
One result of these high levels of crime is that the soccer World Cup event, to be held in South Africa in June and July, is going to be poorly attended. Many soccer fans who would otherwise travel to see the games have decided to stay home rather than risk their lives or health. There were 3.3 million soccer fans attending the 2006 World Cup in Germany. FIFA, the world’s soccer body, admits that it does not expect more than 2.5 million fans to make it to South Africa this summer. Event organizing specialists say this is wildly optimistic: their estimates, based on extrapolation from bookings so far, show that the more likely number of attendees will be between 1.1 and 2 million
There is no doubt that the distance of South Africa from the two continents with the most avid soccer fans – Europe and Latin America – plays a part in suppressing attendance, but this is not the most important factor. Japan and South Korea, where the World Cup was jointly held in 2002, are even farther away from Europe and Latin America, yet 2.9 million soccer fans made it to the games.
Since worries about personal security is the reason so many soccer fans have decided to stay at home, a personal security company believes there is an opportunity to make money here by offering soccer fans personal protection gear.
