Stolen Opportunities : The Impact of Crime on South Africa ' s Poor

Crime is of increasing concern to South Africa's citizenry and government. Despite the prominence of criminality as an issue, surprisingly little is known about it as a phenomenon. South Africa has some of the highest rates of violent crime in the world – yet very little can be said about how these crimes occur, where they occur, and whom they affect. This has significant implications not only for an understanding of the causes of crime but also for the implementation of appropriate policies to combat crime.