00:00Have you ever wondered why America has such a high gun violence rate?
00:06Well, one could attribute it to the fact that American firearm ownership laws allow people
00:11to own firearms without a license in many states.
00:15Only 8 states out of 50 states require proper firearm registration by ordinary citizens.
00:21A study by the Educational Fund to Stop Violence revealed that, among other issues, easy access
00:27to firearms was among the top reasons for the high firearm-related violence rate in
00:32America.
00:33But, if we look across the Atlantic to Africa, these factors do not satisfactorily explain
00:39why a country with strict firearm ownership regulations, like South Africa, has such a
00:45high rate of gun-related violence and crime.
00:48In the past year, stats presented by the South African Police Services revealed a staggering
00:5335% increase in firearm-related deaths.
00:57So is South Africa suffering from a gun violence epidemic?
01:02Welcome to the Flipside.
01:04South Africa has one of the world's highest murder rates.
01:07Earlier this month, for example, an off-duty Joburg Metro Police officer opened fire at
01:12a group of uniformed police officers.
01:15Similarly, an off-duty police constable recently shot his girlfriend and her one-year-old daughter
01:21before turning the gun on himself.
01:24Is there something unique, perhaps, to the police in South Africa being trigger happy?
01:28The violence by police officers probably is influenced by the extent of training of the
01:35police, the extent of competent training and the culture of professionalism, ethical conduct,
01:42conflict resolution and command and control within the police services, specifically the
01:47National Service.
01:49But there's more.
01:50Much more.
01:52Many celebrities and well-known people in South Africa have also been victims of gun
01:56crime.
01:57In February, South Africa saw its Gauteng Randwater executive, Deboche Dweiler, shot
02:03and killed.
02:04A few weeks after that, Luc Floys, defender of the famous soccer club Keza Chiefs, was
02:10shot dead in a hijacking incident in Johannesburg.
02:13And just last week, famous R&B DJ Mashad was also shot dead.
02:18Some people are just victims of ordinary gun violence.
02:21The one thing is that, you know, celebrities might be people who are relatively affluent
02:28and might be, for instance, driving a type of vehicle which is targeted by vehicle hijackers.
02:36As a South African myself, I have met many people who say they own guns for the sole
02:41purpose of protecting themselves from crime.
02:44The reason I would get a gun is because I don't trust the police to come and save me.
02:47I need to protect myself.
02:49So having a gun, I can protect myself.
02:52You cause trouble, I shoot.
02:55Whether you own a gun or not, it is important to also acknowledge that South Africa has
03:00one of the highest economic inequality rates in the world, not to mention a skyrocketing
03:05unemployment rate.
03:07We're not doing any better in terms of capacitating our communities to be able to A, seek good
03:14education that can get them good and meaningful work.
03:19Whatever the answer, this gun violence epidemic has to stop, whether in South Africa or anywhere
03:25else in the world.
03:26The answer to any of our problems can never be found in the barrel of a gun.
03:32And that is the flip side.
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