‘It is an election year, and no political party is treating violent crime in South Africa as exceptional. Everyone just wants to “enforce the law better,” when the crisis in fact represents a far deeper problem in the logic of our criminal justice system.’ – Martin van Staden, FMF Head of Policy
Blaai af vir Afrikaanse weergawe.
The Free Market Foundation (FMF) and its Rule of Law Project are endeavouring to place South Africa’s violent crime crisis at the centre of the national agenda in the runup to the 2024 general elections. South African politics has become desensitised to our county’s internationally sky-high rates of violence.
The FMF is therefore proud to announce its Section 12 Initiative.
This initiative is aimed at making South Africa safer by helping police focus on real crime and decriminalising those law-abiding citizens who do no harm. But its success depends on South Africans making their voices heard by endorsing the initiative to their preferred political parties whilst sharing content to make sure the government is held accountable.
This can be done by visiting www.section12.org.za and following the indicated steps.
Deep reform
Simply ‘policing harder’ will not fundamentally solve the crisis of violence. Currently, no political party is offering a comprehensive criminal justice reform package as part of their electoral manifesto.
‘The entire criminal justice system must be reformed for a safer South Africa,’ says Van Staden.
This includes widespread decriminalisation of those activities that South Africa cannot and should not waste precious resources criminalising, and significantly decentralising police powers away from the central government.
The decriminalisation of activities that cause no harm to liberty or property will be positive for society and for the economy, yielding more business activity in the decriminalised areas of commerce. This will lead to economic growth and increased tax revenue, through the elimination of unnecessary prosecutions and law enforcement.
Most importantly, such a significant reform will yield a safer South Africa by allowing the police and justice authorities to focus their time and resources on real crime.
Section 12 of the Constitution
The initiative is based around section 12 of the South African Constitution, which accurately encapsulates the purpose of criminal justice.
It both authorises (and requires) government to combat violent crime and restrains government from itself becoming the source of violence. Section 12 guarantees to peaceful South Africans the liberty to conduct themselves freely without fearing reprisal by the state.
As part of the initiative, the FMF will seek clarity, through a Promotion of Access to Information Act (PAIA) request to Correctional Services, about who is presently filling South Africa’s very limited prison capacity. Given the extent to which government has criminalised peaceful and voluntary behaviour, it is highly likely that many prisoners do not appropriately belong in prison in the first place.
Overcriminalised society
‘Most South Africans underestimate the degree of criminalisation that surrounds us. Various activities that might ordinarily be regarded as innocuous are viewed by politicians as criminal,’ says Van Staden. ‘Precious police, prosecutorial, and prison resources are wasted, when these could be directed at the very real violent crime crisis.’
As a long-term project, the initiative seeks to create a publicly accessible database of all offences recognised in South African law.
‘This will enable ordinary people, for the first time in South African history, to get an accurate and comprehensive account of whether they are regarded as criminals according to some obscure legislation or regulation that nobody has ever heard of,’ says Van Staden.
The multifaceted Section 12 Initiative will actively seek to drive national attention to the issue of violent crime over the coming months, and hopes to ensure that the various political parties vying for power in the 2024 general elections change tack and begin to take violence seriously.
Ends.
Press enquiries
Anneke Burns
FMF Publicist
071 423 0079 | press@fmfsa.org
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FMF Rule of Law Project poog om misdaadhervorming op die 2024 verkiesingsagenda te plaas
‘Dit is ‘n verkiesingsjaar, en geen politieke party beskou gewelddadige misdaad in Suid-Afrika as buitengewoon nie. Almal wil net die wet “beter handhaaf,” terwyl die krisis in werklikheid ‘n veel dieper probleem verteenwoordig in die logika van ons strafregstelsel.’ – Martin van Staden, FMF Beleidshoof
Scroll up for English version.
Die Vryemarkstigting (FMF) en sy Rule of Law Project is besig om Suid-Afrika se gewelddadige misdaad-krisis die middelpunt van die nasionale agenda te maak in die aanloop tot die 2024 algemene verkiesings. Suid-Afrikaanse politiek het afgestomp geraak teenoor ons land se internasionaal hoë vlakke van geweld.
Die FMF is dus trots om sy Section 12 Initiative aan te kondig.
Hierdie inisiatief is daarop gemik om Suid-Afrika veiliger te maak deur die polisie te help om op werklike misdaad te fokus, en diegene wat geen skade aan ander berokken nie te dekriminaliseer. Maar die sukses van die inisiatief hang daarvan af dat Suid-Afrikaners hul stem dik maak deur die inisiatief aan hul voorkeur-politieke partye te onderskryf en die inhoud deel om seker te maak die regering word aanspreeklik gehou.
Dit kan gedoen word deur www.section12.org.za te besoek en die aangeduide stappe te volg.
Diepgaande hervorming
Om eenvoudigweg ‘harder te polisieer’ sal die krisis van geweld nie fundamenteel oplos nie. Tans bied geen politieke party ‘n omvattende hervormingspakket vir die strafregstelsel aan as deel van hul verkiesingsmanifes nie.
‘Die hele strafregstelsel moet hervorm word vir ‘n veiliger Suid-Afrika,’ sê Van Staden.
Dit sluit in wydverspreide dekriminalisering van daardie aktiwiteite wat Suid-Afrika nie kosbare hulpbronne op moet mors om te kriminaliseer nie, en die aansienlike desentralisering van polisiemagte weg van die sentrale regering.
Die dekriminalisering van aktiwiteite wat geen skade aan vryheid of eiendom veroorsaak nie sal positief wees vir die samelewing en vir die ekonomie, met meer sake-aktiwiteit in die gedekriminaliseerde areas van handel. Dit sal lei tot ekonomiese groei en ‘n toename in belastinginkomste, deur die uitwissing van onnodige vervolging en wetstoepassing.
Meer belangrik is dat so ‘n hervorming sal lei tot ‘n veiliger Suid-Afrika deur die polisie en die regeringsowerhede in staat te stel om hul tyd en hulpbronne op werklike misdaad te fokus.
Artikel 12 van die Grondwet
Die inisiatief is gebaseer op artikel 12 van die Suid-Afrikaanse Grondwet, wat die doel van die strafregstelsel akkuraat opsom.
Dit bemagtig (en vereis dat) die regering gewelddadige misdaad bekamp, en verhoed ook die regering om sélf die bron van geweld te word. Artikel 12 waarborg aan vreedsame Suid-Afrikaners die vryheid om hulself vrylik uit te druk sonder vrees vir vervolging deur die staat.
As deel van die inisiatief sal die FMF duidelikheid soek deur middel van ‘n Wet op die Bevordering van Toegang tot Inligting (PAIA)-versoek aan Korrektiewe Dienste, oor wie tans Suid-Afrika se baie beperkte tronk-kapasiteit vul. Gegewe die mate waarin die regering vreedsame en vrywillige gedrag gekriminaliseer het, is dit baie waarskynlik dat baie gevangenes nie behoorlik in die tronk behoort nie.
Oorkriminaliseerde samelewing
‘Die meeste Suid-Afrikaners onderskat die mate van kriminalisering wat ons omring. Verskeie aktiwiteite wat normaalweg as onskuldig beskou sou word, word deur politici as krimineel beskou,’ sê Van Staden. ‘Kostelike polisie-, vervolgings-, en tronkhulpbronne word gemors, terwyl hierdie hulpbronne gerig kon word op die werklike gewelddadige misdaad-krisis.’
As ‘n langtermynprojek, poog die inisiatief om ‘n openbaar-toeganklike databasis van alle oortredings wat in die Suid-Afrikaanse reg herken word, te skep.
‘Dit sal gewone mense vir die eerste keer in die Suid-Afrikaanse geskiedenis in staat stel om ’n akkurate en omvattende indruk te kry van of hulle volgens een of ander obskure wetgewing of regulasie (waarvan niemand nog ooit gehoor het nie) as misdadigers beskou word,’ sê Van Staden.
Die veelsydige Section 12 Initiative sal aktief nasionale aandag probeer vestig op die probleem van gewelddadige misdaad oor die komende maande, en hoop om te verseker dat die verskeie politieke partye wat vir mag meeding in die 2024 algemene verkiesings, van koers verander en geweld ernstig begin opneem.
Einde.
Persnavrae
Anneke Burns
FMF Publisiteitsbeampte
071 423 0079 | press@fmfsa.org