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South Africa’s President Thabo Mbeki promised to increase the size of the police force to tackle the country’s high crime rate in todays State of the Nation Speech in Cape Town.
He told parliament there would be 180,000 police officers within three years, a rise of 28,000 from the current level.

He said that South Africans “…cannot claim the happiness that comes with freedom if communities live in fear, closeted behind walls and barbed wire”.

Mr Mbeki has been accused of not doing enough to cut crime.

“We must continue and further intensify the struggle against crime,” Mr Mbeki said in his state of the nation to parliament..

His other pledges included in the speech were more anti-Aids programs, more work to tackle poverty, to bring fresh drinking water to all communities and to speed up land reform.

The murder rate, according to official figures, in South Africa is falling, but with more than 18,000 murders each year the country has on one of the highest rates in the world, only beaten by Iraq and Columbia.

Last month’s murder of historian David Rattray drew international attention to South Africa’s crime problem.

Some members of the South Africa’s business community have become increasingly anxious regarding the effects of business coming into SA, saying that investors are increasingly concerned with the situation in the country.

Opposition parties accuse president Mbeki of being in denial about the problem as he recently stated that he did not think crime was out of control.

Officials from Mr Mbeki’s ruling African National Congress (ANC) feel that the white community is more worried about crime, while poverty is the main concern for the black majority.

South Africa is enjoying record rates of economic growth but many ordinary South Africans say they are yet to feel the benefits.

Political forecaster, Moeletsi Mbeki, who is also President Mbekis brother says the issues of poverty and crime are connected stating “The level of crime is totally unacceptable.” “Unemployment has risen over the past 15 – 20 years, so South Africans are getting poorer and the other reason is we’re getting more inequality in South Africa.”