Serial-Killer Fears Put Spotlight on a Crime Crisis Stunting South Africa

Serial-Killer Fears Put Spotlight on a Crime Crisis Stunting South Africa

SOUTH AFRICA

For South African mother Nomgqibelo Tshabalala, worries over a serial killer targeting women in the Ekurhuleni area, east of Johannesburg, have made everyday activities a cause for alarm.

“I am feeling a lot of fear and paranoia,” Tshabalala told Reuters. “My daughter caught an Uber yesterday and I did not sleep.”

Since July, the bodies of 12 women have been found in the area, although police have not confirmed that the deaths are connected.

The killings have focused attention on a violent-crime crisis that has haunted South Africa for decades, making it harder for one of Africa’s most industrialized economies to escape years of weak growth, unemployment and poverty. It has drained resources, discouraged investment and limited economic opportunities, impeding the country’s development. Crime costs the country at least 10 percent of GDP annually through stolen property and resources diverted to security…