In a society as unequal and diverse as SA is, there are few things people from across different social and economic strata agree on. Concerns about crime and safety is fast becoming the main issue that South Africans feel adversely affected by, whether they are in the leafy suburbs of a big city or the dusty streets of a village. We are unsafe.

Statistics SA earlier this year released a Governance, Public Safety and Justice report revealing that only 40% of South Africans feel safe walking in their own neighbourhood at night. In the place that people call home, among a community of people they know and live with, most South Africans still feel at risk...