Criminal Justice delegation  goes to South Africa   The 2003 Rutgers-Camden criminal justice delegation to South Africa, from left to right: Deena Glover, Megan Yasher, Yolonda Jones, Linda Lingo, Larry Evans, and Dr. Jon'a Meyer. Standing to the right of our group is Edwin Smith, the Director of Marketing and Research for the University of Pretoria (and former Rutgers-Camden graduate). Associate Provost Felix James accompanied us and appears in the back row.

Molweni!  ("Hello" in Xhosa, one of South Africa's 11 official languages)

During spring break, while many Rutgers-Camden students were lounging in Florida or other locations, I and a delegation of five students journeyed to South Africa to study criminal justice and sociology as part of my Special Topics in Criminal Justice course. A total of 39 of us on the trip (including students and faculty from both criminal justice and business, a pair of researchers from the school of business, two University administrators, and a staff member from the financial aid office) started out at 11:30am on March 12th, boarding a bus near the BSB building to go to JFK airport. After an all-night, all-day flight, we landed in Johannesburg (South Africa), then we skeddadled over to the domestic flights and hopped on a short two-hour plane to Capetown. Total air time from JFK to Capetown: more than 18 hours. We were utterly exhausted, but excited to be across the Atlantic Ocean. We had even stopped in Dakar, Senegal for an hour, though we were not allowed to deplane.

The next day (Friday), we hit the ground running. First, we went to meet officials at the South African Port Authority, where we learned about the increases in both imports to and exports from South since democratic rule was instituted in 1994, with the first free election in South Africa. Our contact person there explained how South Africa is having to change to adapt to the market trends and needs of the new millenium, for example, by moving into the now-profitable ship repair business. She discussed the new implementation of university programs in maritime law to educate their citizens in this important area. We also learned  about smuggling operations, including one in which some individuals were supposedly transporting broomsticks into South Africa. One of the Port Authority employees became suspicious, however, when she remembered that labor is cheap in South Africa and there was plenty of locally obtainable wood, so it would not make economic sense to import broomsticks. Closer examination showed a veneer of broomsticks, covering a large quantity of drugs.
 

That afternoon, we visited Parliament. South Africa is unique in that its three branches of government are in different cities. The executive branch is in Pretoria, the legislature (Parliament) is in Capetown, and the judiciary is in Bloemfontein. South Africa is also unique in that South Africans do not vote for individuals, they vote for parties. While Ministers of Parliament (MPs) may speak in any of South Africa's 11 official languages while on the floor, the nine tribal languages are translated only into English and Afrikaans for the benefit of other lawmakers, so the MPs must speak at least one of those two languages. Many South Africans are able to converse in more than one language and some are fluent in six or more of the official languages. We toured Parliament, which is quite beautiful, and sat in on part of a discussion meeting about some pending legislation. We also met with Dr. Robert Davis, a member of Parliament since 1994 on the popular ANC (African National Congress) ticket. NOTE: Click on any of the images in this document to see full size photos.

Similar to the U.S., the South African legislature is broken into two houses, but the similarities end there. The first house is the National Assembly (NA), which currently consists of 400 members, who are elected off party lists. Each of the country's political parties submit rank-ordered lists of potential leaders and the citizens vote for the party whose list most appeals to them. The NA is the starting place for laws that will not have impact on the provinces, and typically, the NA considers bills before they move to the second house.
 

The second house to consider potential legislation is the National Council of Provinces (NCOP), shown to the left. The NCOP consists of 90 delegates, 10 from each of South Africa's nine provinces. It is like the NA in that the distribution of legislators depends on the percentage of votes received by each party. If a party obtains 10% of the vote, for example, 10% of Parliament would be from that party. Any law that will impact the provinces must be discussed in the NCOP (though the NA may theoretically override the NCOP's veto with a 2/3 vote). A bill passes in the NCOP if it receives support from 6 of the 9 provinces.Whenever the NA and NCOP disagree regarding a bill, they go before a mediation committee where the bill is discussed and any changes suggested by either house are explored in greater detail. Even if mediation does not work, the bill may become law if 2/3 of the NA members vote for it. After the bill is passed, it is sent to the President for approval.

When compared to the past, women are much more likely to win seats in Parliament; prior to 1994, 2 women held seats, now 30% of MPs are female. In fact, both the Speaker and the Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly are women. The Chairperson of the National Council of Provinces is also a woman.

South Africans actually speak of two separate countries: there was the "old South Africa," which was characterized by aparteid and oppression. Racial minorities, especially blacks, were limited in all aspects of their lives. They were barred from many occupations, could not move freely, and were subject to a system of general humiliation and harassment. More than 3/4ths of the population was black, and they were forced into less than 15% of the country's land base (sort of like our Native American reservation system but on a far wider and more oppressive scale). Due to international pressure and a growing sentiment among South African whites that aparteid was not good policy, the "old South Africa" was dissolved in social sense in 1994, when the first free election took place and Nelson Mandela was elected. Some progress had been made before then, beginning in 1990, but 1994 saw the most positive changes being made. By 1996, when the new Constitution was passed, one could actually refer to the prior state of affairs as another nation; in addition to the social differences, the government structure was different. Rights were granted to all and equality was promised among racial, religious, gender and other groups. This nation is referred to as the "new South Africa," "democratic South Africa," or just "South Africa."
 

After visiting Parliament, we went to the District 6 Museum. Originally a vibrant mixed community that included blacks and colored citizens ("colored" is a legal classification meaning of mixed heritage), it was designated a whites-only area in 1966, forcing some 60,000 residents to flee to the Cape Flats townships (a desolate place indeed). The museum used photo exhibits and other displays, including a map drawn on the floor on which former district residents have added names and personal messages, to document the area's daily activities and the realities of aparteid. The sign on the right is a tangible reminder of the evil of separate development as a policy. Later, we were treated to an exciting night of drumming lessons followed by a music performance using traditional South African instruments- I liked the throaty Kudu Horn best. Then a troupe of youth dancers dazzled us with an eye-popping, foot-stomping, excitement-filled performance.

That night, after a full day of meetings and learning, we went to a shebeen (speakeasy). Shebeens got started under the aparteid era and were essentially unlicensed licquor establishments. Now, the shebeens are licensed and many serve food, like restaurants. I don't normally hang out in places that serve alcohol, but I wanted to see what a shebeen was like, so I tagged along for this part of the trip. It was a true sociological experience. We learned about the local custom of spilling some beer on the ground before drinking it, and some of our 39 person group practiced that custom several times that night, especially given the low cost of the beer (less than 70 cents for a 40 ounce bottle). The best part for all, however, was that we were able to observe locals generally enjoying themselves, talking, and dancing. Some of us, myself included, talked and danced a bit with the locals. I met a social worker who excitedly told me about a local production of the Vagina Monologues and how her office was using the production as a way to educate women about sexual health and diseases. I met several others who talked about South Africa in general, and answered questions from our group members. Live jazz was provided by a local group and it was fairly good music- an interesting combination of saxophone and African drumming. Artists circulated among the crowd showing off their drawings and some people purchased them, often haggling a bit before the sale took place. The place was literally alive with people, chatting in their tribal tongues, dancing, and just taking in the music. It was a nice experience overall.

We began Saturday by travelling down the Cape of Good Hope, taking in the scenery. It was truly beautiful. The photo shows a colony of Jackass Penguins we visited, named not for their attitude, but for the sound they make. We also stopped at Cape Point, where the Indian Ocean meets the Atlantic.
 

On the way there, we learned about the "alien hit squads" that the new South African government has formed as a way to combat two evils: unemployment and foreign trees. Unfortunately, Since South Africa's colonizers often brought trees with them from their original homelands or from other areas, the country is covered with nonnative growth. These trees are a major nuisance, because they disrupt the ecological system. For example, eucalyptus trees are pretty to look at, but they suck up so much water that native vegetation is left to die. For that reason, the government has "declared war" on all alien trees. They have created education programs that train unemployed PDIs (Previously Disadvantaged Individuals, South African parlance for former minorities) to recognize and cut down foreign trees and replace them with native vegetation. Everyone wins: the PDIs are provided a living wage, the alien trees are eliminated, and the wood is used for carvings which are sold to tourists (who carry the wood far away from South Africa). One of our CJ delegation purchased a great walking stick while there, made by a PDI from foreign wood.

That afternoon, we headed for Robben Island to tour Robbeneiland Maximum Security Prison. The trip there via boat was a tad choppy, but the tour was great. Our two guides were both former inmates at the island prison and shed a lot of light on the conditions there. One of the highlights was a visit to the cellblock that housed Nelson Mandela for 18 of the 27 years he spent imprisoned and walking around the garden where he buried his early drafts of the autobiographical Long Walk to Freedom. We learned that the government was afraid that political prisoners would infect other inmates with their rabble rousing ideas, so they were isolated from the others. They were also treated with great brutality and were denied many basic necessities. The photo at the left shows Nelson Mandela's cell (#5, B-section)with the few belongings he was allowed. Notice the thin woolen mat in the right-hand corner, which was all political prisoners were given to sleep on for the first years of Mandela's term.

Since no agencies were open on Sunday, we toured the wine country and did other touristy things (including sleeping in until 8:30am). A personal trip highlight for me, though really very criminological or sociological was a visit the Cheetah Conservation Fund Centre. This program is devoted to saving the wild cheetah population and runs a research and education center about half an hour from Cape Town. We were given the opportunity to learn about cheetahs and some of us slipped into the pens to pet the unfortunately domesticated cheetah cubs in residence. Since all three were born in captivity, they can never be released into the wild because their mother was unable to teach them how to hunt. So, they have become ambassadors for their wild cousins, and allow folks to stroke them while they lounge about as big cats are known to do. The lovely fellow at the right is seven-year-old Shadow, resident ambassador educational cheetah and lounger-in-chief.

Monday was a clear day, so we headed to Table Mountain, taking cable cars to the top. Wow, what a view! After such a treat, we headed to meet with an inspector at the Cape Town office of the South African Police Service. He was a virtual fountain of information about all things police-oriented in South Africa. He began with an overview of the training and system in place in South Africa, then moved on to some of the unique issues facing the police. When the new South African Constitution was written, it included a statement of warnings that are read to all defendants which inform them of their rights to silence, an attorney, bail, visits from loved ones, a speedy initial hearing on their charges, and other rights. This created a problem in ensuring that this took place; we were shown a book which all defendants must sign (and a 3rd person as witness under some circumstances) stating that they have heard the rights. Another problem is the lack of resources provided to the police but a new social emphasis on programs and cooperation; the police were expected to transform themselves from oppressors to civil servants without much funding and the type of changes that were necessary require funds. Community-oriented policing is the new buzzword, but funds are lacking to implement it. The prisons are full (the one nearest the was at 200% capacity), but the police are expected to root out criminals and the courts are asked to ensure that offenders are punished. The courts must provide attorneys to all defendants who want one, but there is not an adequate number of attorneys and they are not paid a living wage. Despite the new South Africa emphasis on equality, poverty and desperation are still routine and have profound effects on crime. Street kids are a unique problem because the South African system treats juveniles so differently from adults, and street children do not carry identification. Year after year, the same offender may tell the police that he is 16 years old, and thus processed through a system that is characterized by lenience and suspended sentence. It has become such a problem, that the police are now creating a photo database of the kids and listing the ages they provided at the time of their first arrest. Presumably, that steadfast 16-year-old can be treated as an adult in a couple of years no matter what age he provides to the police in the future. The inspector actually lamented the elimination of the loitering law, saying that there is no way to get kids into the social service system until they actually break a law. The cities act as a "magnet," drawing poor children from the townships into the city centers, where they roam in unsupervised groups, do not receive adequate food or shelter or education or medical attention, are abused in a variety of ways by local criminals, and sometimes victimize tourists or citizens. The situation with the street kids is a sad one indeed. Every morning, the police meet with social services and other agencies to design a proactive approach to crime and to street kids in particular.On a lighter note, we learned that they are using hot spots theory to maximize their resources because police "have to think more cleverly" when they are underresourced. CompStat!

Then, we met with the U.S. Consulate General Steve Nolan in Cape Town. He told us about crime problems in South Africa and various scams in use in the region, particularly ATM machine ruses. Typically, a person will offer to help someone who is having difficulty with an ATM machine (especially one that has been tinkered with to make it problematic), then make off with the person's money and/or switch ATM cards with the victim. He also told us about various forms of funding and training made available to South Africans to help them deal with crime and health issues. Of interest, when asked about information regarding the situation in Iraq (our meeting took place just a couple of days before the U.S. began bombing), Steve told us that he gets his news from CNN rather than any official dispatches.
 

Tuesday was a packed schedule. We started by touring Langa township, a startling reminder of the utter poverty that still racks South Africa. Despite the many programs designed to transform PDIs into citizens who enjoy all that the new South Africa has to offer, it is places like Langa township that show the thin veneer separating various classes from one another. Some wealthy Langa residents live in the "Beverly Hills" section of the township, but many live in shanties, shacks, and other forms of substandard housing, such as the home shown below. Despite the poverty around them, the residents have developed a sense of comraderie and pride in their neighborhoods; they work together at common tasks such as the women doing their laundry below. They were genuinely open to our visiting them and welcomed us into their neighborhoods and their homes. Children chased us in the streets to shake our hands, peered out from every window, waving as we passed their homes. The cute tike to the right was just one of many smiling children we encountered.

There were kids everywhere, and they excitedly gathered around us, many of them literally jumping into our arms. It was surreal, with excited, smiling children seemingly attempting the impossible by jumping from their lives of utter poverty into our welcoming arms of relative wealth. The kids made an impact of many of us, through their interest in us (and our technology as many enjoyed playing with our cameras and looking at pictures of themselves reflected on the LCD screens of a variety of digital camera models. The children at the local preschool sang for us, touching many of our lives.
 

One family allowed us to come into their home. The woman of the house was busy doing a bit of laundry in a small bucket while we poked our noses into the rooms of her humble home. Photos of the bedroom and kitchen are below, and show the desperate poverty in her section of town. To imagine that some 250,000 people live in her community, many in circumstances similar to hers is utterly overwhelming. And, this is the new South Africa, which everyone agrees is nothing compared to the old... I cringe when I imagine what the old South Africa was like for minorities, even a decade ago.
 

We then met with officials from the Manenberg Police Department and toured the jail there. We met with a 19 year veteran of the police department, one of the first black women in policing. She was a great representative of the police, professional and informative. She told us about some of the difficulties that she faced in the old South Africa. She was not allowed to arrest whites and had to call a white officer to perform that duty. Whites and blacks could not chained or housed together. When there were mixed groups of arrestees, whites were given the cells and blacks slept on the floor. In the old South Africa, the police were allowed to use violence on those who did not cooperate. Now, the police are trained to respect human rights.
 

Some problems have remained; even in the new South Africa, domestic violence is a terrible problem and it takes up to two weeks to act on an initial complaint, during which time "the other party will still victimize this woman." She proudly reported that the police have made great strides in their treatment of rape victims, having created a supportive environment, standardized evidence collection procedures, and mandated that women officers interview victims. After our meeting with the Captain, we toured the jail, which holds individuals awaiting their first court appearance. What an eye-opener. We went into one of the two-level cells, just like the two shown to the right, which was jammed full of thin mats on the floor and anxious young men. They had to move outside, into the grey concrete area between the two doors when we came in to give us room to enter into the back part of the cell. It was VERY dark and crowded back there. We made a note to stay out of South African jails after that tour! And this is post-reform..

Wednesday was spent getting from Capetown back to Johannesburg, called Jo'burg by the locals, and catching up on some shopping at the mall.

On Thursday, we headed into Pretoria to tour the beautiful University of Pretoria campus. We met with Edwin Smith, who graduated from Rutgers-Camden while he was in exile due to his involvement with the anti-aparteid movement. Edwin was a charming host, who told us about his terrible experiences in the old South Africa (he was jailed at age 13) and how odd it is that he now works in an occupation that he was barred from due simply to his race. Because he had lived in the U.S., he was able to compare and constrast the justice institutions in the two countries. After we met with him, we visited several of the museums on the campus, then went to meet with criminal justice officials in a round-table. Several lawyers and judges had been invited, but their schedules changed at the last minute. There were representatives from three different policing agencies: the university police, the metro police, and the national police. The national police have jurisdiction over the whole country, whereas the metro police are more like sheriffs who have jurisdiction over only certain geographical areas. There is no provincial-level police force yet, and the metro police are actually in the experimental phase (they are working so far, so the concept may be expanded to other metropolitan areas). The set-up of the police in the new South Africa, was unfortunately not done in consulation with the existing police, so there are still some issues that must be worked out, but they are trying to adapt to a rapidly changing society.

They told us briefly about The Scorpions, a special police force created by current President Thabo Mbeki in June of 1999, to address organized crime and police corruption. Vastly misunderstood, The Scorpions are a crime intelligence body that works in conjuction with other police agencies. The Scorpions can devote 1-2 years to an investigation whereas the national police cannot expend such resources.

The university police representative explained how his department has no off-campus jurisdiction, so they work hand-in-hand with their colleagues in the national police.

Drugs are an issue for all three levels of police agencies, and their use is increasing among youth. Ectasy is a favorite drug, as is marijuana (possibly because South African cannabis "is the best in the world," according to one of the officers). Drug enforcement is a particularly thorny issue because the modes of consumption, distribution, and packaging change so often that the police are always behind the trends.

After our meeting, we hung out in the campus commons for awhile observing students and scoping out the buildings. Except for the accents, the students there were just like ours here. I was happy to see that blacks and whites were integrated, rather than dividing themselves by racial classification. South Africa is indeed making progress! That evening, we went to a brai, a traditional barbecue. The food was great and we were given the opportunity to meet with students at the university there. The barbecue was a great experience and we all met friends we can stay in touch with over the years.
 

	We ended our trip by going on a two-day Safari at Kruger Reserve, where we hunted South Africa's wondrous creatures with a variety of cameras. As you can see, the game viewing was excellent! When we saw the first herd of zebra and giraffe, people scrambled for their cameras, rocking the van in their excitement. NOTE: Click on any of the images to see full size photos.	We saw giraffe, elephants, lions, impala, zebra, wildebeeste, and other animals, including Cape Buffalo, rhinos, and a variety of exotic birds. We all saw at least four of the "big five" (elephant, buffalo, rhino, lion, and leopard), and several vans saw all five (leopards are hard to find). What an experience!

Before heading to the airport for the long journey home, we toured Soweto township, where both Nelson Mandela and Desmond Tutu lived. In fact, Soweto is the only community in which two Nobel Peace Prize winners' homes are on the same street! Much of the poverty from Langa township was to be found in Soweto as well and once again, we were greeted everywhere by smiling children. One group of Soweto boys were scampering about, pushing toy cars in high-speed mock races. A closer look showed the flexibility of children everywhere-- where there are no funds for toys, make do. In this case, their cars were made from beverage bottles with lids made into wheels. They were having a really great time with those little recycled cars!

This little writeup cannot do the trip justice, but is presented to share a small part of our class with you. I hope you enjoyed it. We were accompanied on our journey by Associate Vice President for Alumni Relations Cal Maradonna and Camden Associate Provost Felix James, who arranged the general tour and the two tracks within it (business and criminal justice/sociology). The 2003 criminal justice delegation thanks both for their able leadership and expertise.

Jon'a Meyer
Spring, 2003