“In 2007 the Institute for Security Studies conducted a national crime and victimisation survey. The survey followed on from two earlier victim surveys conducted by the ISS and Statistics South Africa in 1998 and 2003 respectively. Together, these three surveys provide an unprecedented snapshot of both
changing victimisation levels and perceptions of crime and the criminal justice system over the last decade. This paper discusses the dynamics surrounding the six most common crimes identified in the 2007 study. It compares the data from the
1998, 2003 and 2007 surveys to provide a picture of provincial victimisation trends, the sites and characteristics of the crimes,
weapon use, victims’ familiarity with the perpetrators and arrest and conviction trends.”
