(a) The investigator recommends that there should be an increase in the number of public telephone call boxes in the African townships. When a violent crime has been committed, in some cases, phoning the police delays until the vic_im dies or the offenders escape.
Cb) Also in places which are difficult to reach by car, efforts should be made by the authorities to improve the network of roads leading to those areas. The same is true of road and street lights.
In conclusion, the investigator recommends that there must, above all, be an on-going research programme directed towards the question 'of cri me among the Africans. Such a research programme
should be carried out over a long period, and
should lay particular emphasisonctbe, problem,of cul- ture conflicts and the criminal subcultures
in the modern African society.
9.4 Summary.
It has become abundantly clear in this chapter that crime is a community phenomenon which calls for the c8-operation of the state and the communit~ in general for its prevention.
Among the Africans in partiCUlar, the prevention of crime i s a much more complicated task than i t is in the case of the Whites, for instance. This is because of the culture-conflicts and the criminal subcultures found
in the modern African communities. Some of the most impor- 185/ •••••
- :ll.86 -
tant agencies which can be of help in the prevention of crime among the Africans are acts of parliament,
decriminilisation, the police, crime-preventing organi- sations, the prisons department, compulsory education and adult education or upgrading adult literacy. The prisons are of particular importance here, because when offenders land in prison, i t implies that prevention of crime has failed in the community. For this reason,preventing a person from landing in prison is a much more realistic approach than to wait until he transgresses the law and then send him to prison and expect him to be rahabilitated.
187/ . . . . .
•
187
Summary.
The present investigation gives a systematic ex~osition of crime among the Africans in Mtunzini and compares i t with crime among Af.ricans in South Africa.
Thecriminality of the modern African must be seen in the light of its historical setting·. For this reason the present extent of crime among Africans has also been compared with the extent of crime among the traditional Africans in previous times.
This comparison brought to light that the crimes committed by Africans in modern times differ considerably in volume= and nature from those committed in the traditional times. The
main crimes in the past were witchcraft, rape, incest and treason;
and their classification was very simple. They were divided into crimes against the individual and crimes against tribal authority.
Cultural conflicts arose when the Africans came into contact with the White man's culture. The Africans did not only adopt the White man's religion, business methods and liquor, but also became subject to a law he did not understand.
Cultural conflicts ate inevitable when the norms of one cultural area come into contact with those of another. In introducing their legal system to the tribal Africans, the Whites, therefore, declared as offences many ancient practices of the inhabitants which their customs permitted or imposed. Thus, among the Africans many forms of violence which today are tantamount to assault in terms of the law of the land, were not regarded as crimes.in traditional 8antu law, and were not punishable.
The transformation of the culture of the Africans from a homogeneous, well-integrated type to a heterogeneous and disintegrated one has resulted in the creation of criminal
subcultures of violence, "tsotsism", "shebeens" and witchcraft.
Any explanation of the criminality of the Africans must take cognizane-of these criminal subcultures.
The crimes showing a high incidence in modern times are
violations of personal and'. s:ocial relations, . communi ty life and 188
7...
- 188 ~
crimes against property.
My research has revealed that Africans below 30 years commit mostly property crimes, while those above 30 years commit mostly crimes pertaining to social relations, personal relations and crimes against property. During the period under review, males were responsible for 82 per cent of all crimes committed in Mt~nzini, while females were responsible for only 18 per cent.
The cost of crime in terms of property lost and human suffering is tremendous" For this reason, more purposeful research
should be conducted into the problem of crime among Africans.
189/~•.•.
189 Opsomming.
"Die resultate van hierdie ondersoek bied h sistematiese uit-
~eensetting van misdaad onder Bantoe* in Mtunzini en die
;gegewens word vergelyk met die oor misdaad onder Bantoe in Suid-Afrika.
,Die" misdadigheid van die moderne Bantoe moet gesien word in
.
die lig van sy historiese milieu. Derhalwe is die omvang van misdaad onder Bantoeook vergely met die omvang van misdaad,
ander die tradisionele Bantoe in vorige tye. Die vergelyking het getoon dat die misdade wat deur Bantoe in die moderne tye, gepleeg word, aansienlik in omvang en aard verskil van die wat gedurende die tradisionele tydvak gepleeg is. Die ver- naamste misdade in die verlede was towery, verkragting, bloed- skande en verraad; en om hulle te klassifiseer was baie
eenvoudig. Hulle is naamlik verdeel in misdade teen die individu en misdade teen die stamowerbeid.
Kulturele konflikte het ontstaan toe die Bantoe met die Blanke se kultuur in aanraking gekom het. Die Bantoe het nie alleen die witman se geloof, sakemetodes en sterk drank aangeneem nie, maar het ook onderworpe geraak aan h wet wat hy nie begryp
het nie. Kulturele botsings is onvermydelik as die norme van, een kultuurgebied in aanraking kom met die van h ander. Met die instelling van hul regstelsel vir die stam-Bantoe het die Blankes derhalwe baie ou gebruike van die Bantoe wat deur hul sedes~ho~gelaat of afgedwing is, tot oortreding verklaar.
·G~vo:glik is baie vorme van geweld wat vandag gelykstaan aan ,
aSirandiog ingevolge die landwet, nie as.misdade volgens die tradisionele Bantoereg beskou nie en waS hulle oQk nie strafbaar nie.
Die transformasie van die kultuur van die Bantoe na h homogene, goed-geintegreerde tipe tot h heterogene en gedisintegreerde
,
kuituur het tot gevolg gehad die skepping van kriminele sub-
n 11
kulture van geweldpleging, "tsotsisme , "sjebeens , en toordery.
, . - ' • •~ I ·';'_L~~~:_· .
*Di~ term word vir die enkelvoud en meervoud gebruik,
190 / •••••
- 190 -
Enige verduide1iking van die krimina1iteit van die Bantoe moet hierdie kriminele subkulture in aanmerking neem.
Die misdade wat h hoe voorkoms-syfer in die moderne tyd toon, is skending van persoonlike en maatskaplike verhoudinge, van die gemeenskap1ewe en misdade teen eiendom.
I
My navorsing het getoon ~at Bantoe onder 30 jaar meesal eiendomsmisdade pleeg, terwyl diegene bo 30 jaar meesal
misdade pleeg in verband met maatskaplike verhoudinge, persoon- like verhoudinge, en misdade teen eiendom. Gedurend~ die
tydperk van ondersoek was mans vir 82 per sent van die misdade in Mtunzini verantwoordelik, terwyl vroue vir slegs 18 per sent verantwoordelik was.
Die koste van misdaad in die vorm van verlore eiendom, en~,
menslike lyding is ontsettend. Om die rede behoort meer doelgerigte ~avorsing na die probleem van misdaad onder die Bantoebevo1king onderneem te word.
191 / •••••
191
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" " "
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