Crime knows no bounds, so we have come to realise.

Crime knows no bounds, so we have come to realise.

It is a plague that affects all South Africans - rich and poor - irrespective of colour, creed and religion.

It is much less comforting that criminals are also targeting politicians - as in the case of KwaZulu-Natal MEC for Safety and Security Bheki Cele, whose house was broken into at the weekend.

Motive aside, the unnerving message, gleaned from this burglary at the house of a senior government official in charge of the safety and security of citizens, is that not even the high and mighty are safe. This should serve as a wake-up call to those who have been cynical about the high levels of crime in this country.

Officialdom has tended to sarcastically dismiss the nation's concern about crime, unwittingly damaging the integrity of the state's anti-crime initiatives in the eyes of the public.

This has only served to add fuel to the fire. Obfuscating over crime is as criminal as the nefarious activities of the perpetrators.

The need for a powerful coherent message from both government and civil society on crime is long overdue.

This is imperative to substitute the woolly discourse about the crime debate, which is as preposterous as double-locking the stable after the horse has bolted.