The Experiences of Traditional Leaders in the Execution of Crime Prevention Strategies in the Rural Settings of the or Tambo District Municipality, in the Eastern Cape Province

Crime continues to thrive and affects most members of the rural community. In response, different crime prevention strategies are undisputable, as crime thwarts the community development initiatives and leads to urbanisation of many skilled, rural dwellers. The traditional leaders, as agents of community morals and values in the post-apartheid South Africa, are surrounded by conflicting value systems, which are characterised by people with behavioural traits that would be breeding grounds for criminality. Lusikisiki, in the OR Tambo District Municipality (ORTDM), Eastern Cape province of South Africa, is declared to be a hub or the capital of rape. Women in the area, on daily basis, are traumatised because of their gender; the lack of morals amongst certain community members and measures that are put in place seem insufficient for absolute prevention. The victimisation that women and the general community suffer is painful and characterised by prolonged psychological traumatic experiences. Subsequently, women remain dissatisfied by the criminal justice system process and seek other alternatives to guarantee protection and alleviate fear. This element of lack of satisfaction is found to flourish in the community, despite many awareness campaigns about the functioning of the criminal justice processes. This article sought to examine the role of traditional leaders in the situational crime prevention approaches in the communities of ORTDM (KSD, Ingquza Hill, Nyandeni and Port St Johns local municipalities). Interviews were carried out with 58 traditional leaders (chiefs, village heads and headmen) as key informants and custodians of the customs of the members of various communities in their areas of jurisdiction. The findings reveal that traditional leaders perceive that the criminal justice system does not prioritise the victims’ rights. The findings also point out that traditional leaders are involved in the development, implementation and monitoring of the tactics of crime prevention. In addition, traditional leaders argue that the identification strategies of the risk behaviour should be strengthened during early childhood. The findings also highlight that traditional leaders play an integral role in the recruitment of members for participation in crime prevention strategies in their areas of jurisdiction. However, their crime prevention initiatives are limited due to a lack of government funding. It can be concluded that crime prevention is a long-term goal. The investment in traditional leaders may lead to the improvement of the quality of life in society