Stolen Opportunities: The Impact of Crime on South Africa's Poor

This report introduction examines the disproportionate impact of crime on South Africa's poor, noting that while the country has some of the world's highest violent crime rates, research and policy have historically focused on wealthier suburban and business interests.

• South Africa experiences some of the highest rates of violent crime globally, yet there is a significant lack of knowledge regarding the occurrence, location, and victims of these crimes, which hinders the development of effective combat policies.
• Crime prevention and control efforts have been narrowly focused on business groups and wealthy suburban residents who possess more lobbying power, despite the fact that crime is not primarily concentrated in major metropolitan areas.
• Certain regions, such as the Northern Cape province, exhibit higher crime levels relative to their population than other parts of South Africa, contrary to general beliefs about where criminality problems exist.
• The poor in South Africa bear the brunt of high crime levels but are underrepresented in research and policy due to limited access to government, pressure groups, and media, as well as a shortage of reliable statistics.

APA

Louw, A., & Shaw, M. (n.d.). Stolen Opportunities: The Impact of Crime on South Africa's Poor. Institute for Security Studies. https://issafrica.org/research/monographs/monograph-14-stolen-opportunities-the-impact-of-crime-on-south-africas-poor-by-antoinette-louw-and-mark-shaw

Chicago

Louw, Antoinette, and Mark Shaw. Stolen Opportunities: The Impact of Crime on South Africa's Poor. Institute for Security Studies, n.d. https://issafrica.org/research/monographs/monograph-14-stolen-opportunities-the-impact-of-crime-on-south-africas-poor-by-antoinette-louw-and-mark-shaw.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Louw |first1=Antoinette |last2=Shaw |first2=Mark |title=Stolen Opportunities: The Impact of Crime on South Africa's Poor |publisher=Institute for Security Studies |url=https://issafrica.org/research/monographs/monograph-14-stolen-opportunities-the-impact-of-crime-on-south-africas-poor-by-antoinette-louw-and-mark-shaw |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{louwndstolen, author = {Louw, Antoinette and Shaw, Mark}, title = {{Stolen Opportunities: The Impact of Crime on South Africa's Poor}}, institution = {Institute for Security Studies}, url = {https://issafrica.org/research/monographs/monograph-14-stolen-opportunities-the-impact-of-crime-on-south-africas-poor-by-antoinette-louw-and-mark-shaw}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }