A quick survey among our Sibesonke users gives deep insight into perceived crime among young, mostly black, South Africans:

43% of Sibesonke's users in South Africa answer "yes" to the question "Have you personally faced violence during the last year?"; 

a number unthinkable in countries like Finland from where I write this blog. Our team here in Finland has not personally faced violence for DECADES, but our team in South Africa indeed has! Three out of four do not feel safe walking outside alone at night. To my surprise there is almost no difference between rural and urban respondents. And only about half (52%) trust the local police where they live. 64% have had property or money stolen from them or their family during the last year. The type of house where people live neither affects the results. If living in a hut, on a farm, in townships, informal settlements or suburban areas, people alike feel unsafe and have little trust in the local police.

Note the survey respondents primarily represent young black South Africans, so these numbers do not represent all of South Africa. But what the results do make very clear is that crime affects the daily life of many among the less wealthy in South African; it's not just a threat to the rich and wealthy.

This is one taste of life for less wealthy South Africans, facts nobody likes, but people cope or simply have to cope with it. Sibesonke wants to give a voice to those difficult to reach in South African. And we believe people all over the world will show interest for them when they look at South Africa during the coming WorldCup2010. After all, they are still a large economic power. We use the new BOPinion research tool for event based market research. If you have questions let us know!