Crime site gets a rival - Daily News

Crime site gets a rival

July 17 2006 at 11:38AM

By Rivonia Naidu and Bhavna Sookha

South Africans, reacting to a website designed to expose crime in the country, have set up a counter website as they believe the original one is doing the country more harm than good.

The original website, created by Neil Watson, tells the stories of South Africans who have been victims of crime and include statistics and pictures. It also gives people an opportunity to air their views on crime in the country. The website has made headlines and created controversy since it was launched last week.

A counter website, www.realsouthafrica.co.za, has since been set up and the brains behind the website, Pieter Boshoff, says that people need to stand together in a more constructive way to rid the country of crime.

On the home page of the website, Boshoff addresses an open letter to Watson where he says Watson is "creating the problem that he is so strongly lobbying against".

In the letter, Boshoff said: "Do you know for every eight tourists into South Africa, one job is created? Every job less could create up to six people, a family, with no income.

"Desperate times call for desperate measures. As much as I loath and despise crime, taking a step back from my reality and placing myself in theirs for a moment can bring a level of understanding," he said.

Boshoff said he recognised there was a crime problem and that even though the government was doing a lot to fight crime it was not doing enough to curb crime.

"Streamlining the justice system, employing more police, giving police more training and better support, fighting unemployment and uplifting the disadvantaged is the beginning to get things going," he said.

"We must also build a moral code for South Africans and leaders must lead by example, not getting involved in corruption."

He said the 2010 Soccer World Cup was opening so many doors for South Africa and that we needed to take every opportunity that came our way.

"I believe crime is very high, and unlike Watson I have been the victim of two serious incidents of violent crime in the last few years. I still don't believe in the tactics Watson is employing," said Boshoff.

Neil Watson, creator of the Crime Barometer, said he was not fazed by the new website.

"This new website won't bother us and we are not worried about it as our website gives ordinary South Africans a chance to voice the crimes," he said.

Meanwhile, the department of environmental affairs and tourism has lashed out at the South African media for promoting Watson's website.

The chief director of communications for the department of environmental affairs and tourism, John Louw, said it was partly the media's fault that such a website was functioning. "The media are creating a platform for this website," he said.

Louw said crime was a worldwide phenomenon and that Watson was addressing the issue in South Africa in a negative manner.

"The website appears to be anti-SA and it creates the wrong impression of the country," he said.