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Crime
According to the Johannesburg Victim Survey (1993–1997) The most common crime
experienced by the city's residents between 1993 and 1997 was burglary, with
nearly a quarter of the respondents (24%) reporting this crime to the survey.
The second most frequently reported incidents were violent crimes: mugging and
robbery (16,5 per cent) and assault (15,5 per cent). As is the case in many
developing countries, the vast majority of assaults were of a serious nature,
with 84 per cent involving the use of a weapon [1].
After the Group Areas Act was scrapped in the early 1990s, Johannesburg was
affected by urban blight. Thousands of poor, mostly black, people, who had been
forbidden to live in the city proper, moved into the city from surrounding black
townships like Soweto. Crime levels in formerly white areas rose. Many buildings
were abandoned by landlords, especially in high-density areas, such as Hillbrow.
Many corporations and institutions, including the stock exchange, moved their
headquarters away from the city centre, to suburbs like Sandton. By the late
1990s, Johannesburg was rated as one of the most dangerous cities in the world.
Reviving the city centre is one of the main aims of the municipal government of
Johannesburg. Drastic measures have been taken to reduce crime in the city.
These measures include closed-circuit television on street corners. Statistics
show that crime levels in Johannesburg have dropped as the economy has
stabilised and begun to grow [2]. In an effort to prepare Johannesburg for the
2010 FIFA World Cup, local government has enlisted the help of former New York
mayor Rudy Giuliani to help bring down the crime rate, as the opening and
closing matches of the tournament will be played in the city [3].
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