SA's violent crime highlighted on website
July 06 2006 at 08:02AM
By Barry Bateman
The controversial crime website (www.crimexposouthafrica.co.za) aimed at informing foreign tourists about South Africa's crippling violence went live on Wednesday.
This comes in the same week Minister of Safety and Security Charles Nqakula and South African Police Service top brass met to discuss the spiralling crime problem in the country.
Though not complete, with many of the links leading to "under construction" pages, the site has sections that include reports of tourist murders, roadside murders, rape, armed robberies and hijacking.
Site creator Neil Watson said he was overwhelmed by the public's reaction. "The site has been running for 26 hours with 1 670 hits, 102 emails and 241 SMSes in replies.
"The site will be upgraded week by week as this is only the start. We still have some problems like we are struggling to cope with all the incoming mail, and the hit counter still needs to show on the site, but that will be sorted," he said.
Watson said the site was the first of its kind. "It will give all South Africans who are fed up with crime an opportunity to publish their comments and experiences to the international community.
"South Africans who were brutally murdered will return from their graves and via their families and friends tell the international community of their horror," he said.
Watson said people could submit "gruesome photographs" to be published unedited.
He said it would provide international tourists with a preview of the death and violence in South Africa and would help them make a "safe decision" before visiting the country.
Watson said a decline in international tourism, including 2010 World Cup tourists, would encourage the government to clean up its act and address crime.
He said if the government did not reduce violent crime to acceptable levels by 2010, soccer World Cup fans would step into "hell on earth".
http://www.iol.za.org/index.php?set_id=1&click_id=15&art_id=vn20060706021516102C393930
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment