South Africa: Mandela Bridge’s Lost Legacy; New Web Site for Violent Crime

By Larry Habegger | Permalink | No Comments | July 11th, 2006 | Trackback

Johannesburg’s Nelson Mandela Bridge, inaugurated on July 20, 2003, the former president’s 85th birthday, has gone from a symbol of hope to one of despair in three short years. Today, in part thanks to a three-month-long nationwide strike by security guards that ended June 22, the bridge has become a hangout for criminals, and vandals have stripped it of its lights, handrails and some cabling, and smashed its glass panels. People are robbed crossing the bridge every day, even though Central Johannesburg Partnership guards are supposed to patrol it. Stolen infrastructure is a major problem all over the city, as vandals tear out whatever they can sell on the black market or to scrap metal dealers. On a related topic, a South African fed up with the country’s high rate of violent crime, has set up a web site devoted to exposing such crime, hoping to motivate the government to do something about it. Launched only on July 5, his site is already being attacked for being one-sided, but he counters that that is the side that tourism boosters never mention. Judge for yourself at www.crimexposouthafrica.co.za.

Home » Africa, South Africa, Scams/Crime

If you found "South Africa: Mandela Bridge’s Lost Legacy; New Web Site for Violent Crime" useful or interesting, please share it with others by bookmarking it at any of the following sites: