Chinese community in S. Africa marches against crime

The Chinese community in South Africa took to the streets in Johannesburg on Tuesday in protest against rising crimes.

The march was sparked by the killing of a 63-year-old Chinese man and the rape of his 85-year-old mother on December 7.

The heinous crime took place during the 16 Days of Activism for No Violence Against Women and Children, an international awareness-raising campaign which takes place every year from November 25 to December 10.

Hundreds of people took part in the march to the Cleveland Police Station in downtown Johannesburg to press their demand that police bring the perpetrators to book.

Alison Roberts, Chairperson of the Community Policing Forum, read a petition before submitting it to police.

"The Chinese community is shocked by the cold blood killing and brutal rape of their community members. Criminals are not only threatening the safety of normal citizens but also challenging our fight against crime," Roberts said.

The marchers blew whistles and waved placards which read "Stop Murder" and "Stop Rape and Blow the Whistle on Crime".

The Chinese community offers 100,000 rand (about 6,660 U.S. dollars) for any information that can lead to the arrest and prosecution of the suspects.

Roberts said, "Let us do it not because of money but because we care. As a community in whole, we strongly condemn such violent crime against elders and women. We express our expectation of swift arrest of criminals and our appreciation of any information from the community leading to the arrest of these criminals."

The petition was handed to Lieutenant Colonel Nkosinathi Miya, acting station commander.

Miya promised that police will do their best to arrest the suspects and bring them to book.

The spokesperson of the Cleveland Police Station, Constable Mashakane, told Xinhua that a murder and rape docket had been opened and an investigation launched.

Mashakane said, "We have launched a manhunt for the criminals. Investigations are continuing and no arrests have been made so far."

Roberts said they want to encourage the community to report the suspects to police so that they could be arrested.

"We welcome the coming of the Chinese on board to take stand against crime. We want the police to arrest the criminals speedily and we do not want them to go out and hurt more people. They have shown no regard for human life,"said Roberts.

Some locals joined the march. Madoda Mthabela, a South African resident, told Xinhua that he wanted to show his stand against crime.

"I urge the government to send the police and soldiers to raid all the houses and look for the criminals and search for illegal guns used to commit crime. How can a person rape an 85-year-old?" Mthabela said.

He said the killing and rape have instilled fear in the community.

Thomas Hu, CEO of the Chinese Cooperation Policing Forum, said they will work with the police to fight crimes.

According to Hu, 376 cases of crimes have been reported by the Chinese community this year, including robbery, hijacking, house breaking and others. Hu said 17 Chinese have been killed so far this year in the country, where about 300,000 Chinese live.

Crime is a prominent issue in South Africa, which has a very high rate of murders, assaults, rapes (adult, child, elderly and infant), and other crimes compared to most countries.

The country has the highest murder rate of any country with a population greater than 35 million, according to data provided by the United Nations Office on Drug and Crime. Enditem