November 30, 2022 – For the third year in a row, RCS and WPDI conducted a Violence Survey on Cape Town, South Africa, to assess the detrimental effects of violence on the residents and the businesses, a city that many security experts rate as one of the most violent in the world. The studied revealed some worrying trends:
- The report shows that, despite several downward trends in violent crime in South Africa, yet overall levels of violence and feelings of unsafety remain high. Physical violence without sexual assault and kidnappings, on the other hand, are trending upwards.
- Community-based violence in South Africa continues to have a profoundly negative impact on business performance, with almost half of businesses participating in a recent survey agreeing that violence is a major driver of absenteeism and that it has a significant impact on the mental health of employees.
- In terms of its impact on employees, 74% of those surveyed felt unsafe in their area (with those living in the Western Cape feeling the least safe), and 46% of respondents believed that gang violence had increased.
The WPDI Violence Survey 2022 confirms that, even at slightly lowered levels, community-based violence remains an endemic dimension of daily life in Cape Town and continues to have a profoundly negative impact on the socio-economic landscape at large.
First launched in 2020, the third annual WPDI Violence Survey – in partnership with BNP Paribas and RCS – seeks to understand and identify the effects of violence on vulnerable communities as well as its impact on business in Cape Town. The survey was born out of a collaboration between these three parties, whose mission is to help communities impacted by endemic violence to transform into safer, more open, productive and resilient communities.
Kieran Fahy, Chief Executive Officer at BNP Paribas South Africa noted that the survey results needed to be reviewed through the lens of inequality and the fact that South Africa currently has the world’s highest gaping divide between rich and poor – known as the Gini coefficient.
“The fact that the Covid-19 pandemic exacerbated this prevailing inequality has been well-documented. The WPDI Violence Survey 2022 shows that even as the world emerges from the pandemic, South Africa continues to face significant challenges related to violence.
“The research results provide corporate South Africa with a window into the lived experiences of employees on the ground and from it we can draw insights and develop programmes and initiatives to contribute towards the safety of impacted employees.”
The findings of the WPDI Violence Survey 2022 correlate with the Global Peace Index 2022, which ranked South Africa 118 out of 163 countries in terms of its overall peacefulness. While this year sees the country’s best ranking in 14 years, the prevailing sentiment is that violence remains one of the most debilitating scourges that undermine the progress of South African society.
Weighing in on the role of private sector players in providing support for employees who are victims of violence was Sandi Richardson, HR Executive at RCS. “As we immersed ourselves in the programme, we saw the need to create a more deliberate link between business and the violence experienced in the communities – often our own employees.
“In terms of the findings, we saw a slight decrease in respondents’ awareness that their organizations are taking proactive steps to assist those living in violent communities. This highlights the urgent need for decisive action on the part of corporate South Africa to provide more employee support.
“The survey also showed a disconnect between the support victims feel and the support their employers offer. Counseling has been identified as the most helpful solution by those impacted by violence, but only 18% of organizations offer this,” said Richardson.
Siphathisiwe Dhlamini, Conflict Resolution and Peace Building Expert at WPDI added her perspective on the survey’s findings. She said that while several forms of violence had decreased since last year, other kinds have increased, countering any marginal improvements and shedding light on the ongoing severity of violence and its ripple effects on South African communities.
“Our work at the WPDI focuses on sharing our passion for creating a safer environment for women, young people and community members in crime-riddled areas. This research, commissioned for WPDI by BNP Paribas and RCS plays a vital role in helping us better understand the environment and ensure that our programs respond to real needs, in order to create an environment that is safer for all. The research data makes us more effective as an organization and better informs our programmes, which aims to train and empower those who share our dream of driving peace and better opportunities.
“Our cohort of youth peacemakers has been working hard to raise awareness and foster constructive conversations around issues relating to social advocacy. We remain hopeful that positive change is possible and within our grasp,” she concludes.
The endemic aspect of violence in Cape Town is indeed a matter of deeper change, that is possible only through long term action at the grassroots level. In the framework of this effort, the violence survey is a critical tool that reveals facts that are useful not just for WPDI but for all citizens, businesses and leaders.
About RCS
Founded in 1999, RCS is a leading consumer finance company that serves more than 2.5 million customers across South Africa, Namibia and Botswana. Having become a wholly-owned subsidiary of global bank BNP Paribas in 2015, the RCS group employs over 2000 people and offers a range of credit and personal finance products including Cards, Loans, Insurance and Car Finance.
Today, RCS is the largest provider of white label consumer finance products in South Africa, powering credit solutions for over 30 of South Africa’s largest retailers. Committed to uplifting the communities in which it operates, RCS – as part of its CSR initiatives and in partnership with TSIBA Ignition Academy – supports local start-ups through Level Up, an enterprise and supplier initiative. The initiative empowers local starts-ups to grow their businesses through various innovation and mentorship programmes.
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