Not all like that

And then, amongst all the madness and bad press from the Oscar Pistorious case, (his dad hasn’t helped) a bit of sense from Amanda Willard in the Huffington Post:

On any level this is heartbreaking but what we need to leave behind is the belief, created by a bloodthirsty media on the scent of an emotive story, that this all happened against the backdrop of the most violent country in the world. Quite simply it isn’t.

When it comes to gun-related homicide, South Africa comes in at no.12 with many South American and Caribbean countries such as Venezuela, Colombia, Honduras, Belize and El Salvador significantly ranking way above it.

Holiday destinations such as Jamaica are much higher up the list. Even the location for the 2016 Olympics and the next FIFA World Cup, Brazil, a country comparable in many ways for the gap between rich and poor in society, is above South Africa in this table.

I have visited this beautiful country roughly ten times and travelled from the tropical heat of the KwaZulu-Natal, to the urban excitement of Johannesburg. From the stunning beaches of the Cape to experiencing sunsets on safari. It’s unbeatable.

Once again, it’s not so much the “revelation” that there are problems here in SA, it’s more the exceptionalism and disproportionate and sensationalist reporting that is doing the harm.

Full text here, including full on Apocalypse predictions in the dramatic comments section.

Enjoy!

7 thoughts on “Not all like that

  1. Thank you for sharing this! It is all too often that people misread what our beautiful country is all about and we need more people standing up for the beauty that is this land and it’s people!

  2. Ronnie > Pleasure.

    Shana > Yep. No-one should be saying there aren’t problems. But it’s not all doom and doom and doom and gloom.

    Caz > You should see Jamaica’s new ad campaign. o_0

  3. I chose to come and live here two years ago. I used to live in England.

    I have no regrets about my decision.

    And that’s it really.

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