... simple greetings or powerful weapons?
Ours is a country torn apart by unusually high levels of crime and violence. there are many contributing factors to this such as poverty and unemployment, but socio-economic factors alone cannot explain why we will often gratuitously maim, torture or even kill one another.

for answers to these questions we need to look a little deeper; perhaps probe the painful areas of our past that have created this atmosphere of anger and bitterness; an atmosphere that so often overflows into outbursts of horrific violence.

we believe that by regularly doing small things that prick this ‘bubble of anger’ we can each play our part in creating an environment in which crime, particularly of the violent kind, will not flourish. we believe that by respecting one another and actively restoring every human being’s dignity we will see dramatic decreases in violence in our country.

for some this may mean doing things as simple as smiling at a car guard and saying hello. for others, it might mean treating your staff more fairly. your personal hello is dependent on your circumstances and is as unique as your dna. it’s not important what we do, but that we each do something to become a ripple in a wave of change.

We invite everyone to help create an environment in which crime won’t flourish. we encourage all South Africans to replace silence and certainly negative, abusive and discriminatory language and deeds with positive words and actions. we can't all create jobs or alleviate poverty. what we can do though is get out from behind our walls of fear, humanize and respect one another and in doing so build small bridges of peace.
we have reached over 6 million people in just under a year. we have done this through:

•face-to-face meetings with community members
•this website and the weekly newsletter
•the media
•talks at schools, local community groups, schools, churches, companies etc
•merchandise
make no mistake, we condemn all crime but most particularly, violent crime. we support all the ‘skop, skiet and donder’ crime fighting efforts of the police, law courts, government and business. but whilst we support all of these external government measures, we invite you to do what YOU can as an ordinary citizen.

A hello, a wave, a smile, a thank you. this is what it’s all about; creating an atmosphere in which crime cannot flourish. now if all you wish to do is greet people – that's great, but we see this as a start. how about going beyond hello?

help someone. fix something. mentor someone. go beyond hello in whatever way your circumstances allow. big or small it doesn’t matter. if you can, consider an apprentice. if you have staff, educate them about AIDS or domestic violence. if you have pupils, teach them not to do crime. if you see an opportunity, grab it. if you see a wrong, right it.

like small crimes lead to bigger ones, so small actions lead to bigger ones.

we reckon we’re all jolly busy – so these are practical ideas we all have the time to do in your neighborhood, community group, school or business:

Daily Respect those around you by pledging not to commit 'everyday crimes'

•stop talking on your cell phone whilst driving
•quit the road rage - drive courteously
•pick up your rubbish
•use a loo blokes
•get honest with the tax man
We can't hope to beat crime if we ourselves are criminals

Once off Order one of our nice bumper stickers or license disk holders and stick it to crime.
how about committing to handing out a few too? click here to let us know how many you would like.

Monthly Drop in on your local cop shop and say hi to the guys and gals who get paid rubbish to look after you; a thank you, a cup of coffee a slice-a-cake. easy…and they feel encouraged to do an even better job. win/win!
send in a photo with you and the chaps in blue, and we’ll pay for the coffee en koek. fair?
Annually Book an scsh talk at your office, place of worship, school or university. it can be as quick as 10 or 15 minutes all in.Organise a local 5/10km fun run/walk and spread the word by respecting all your fellow locals as you go. you can also help us raise funds in the process.

When you next have a dinner party and the topic of crime pops up, here are some juicy little facts to throw into the pot of seething negativity:

1.Since 2002/2003 overall crime in sa has dropped by 20% (institute for security studies)
2.A survey of sa ’s largest removals companies showed that for every 1 family leaving SA, 1.8 families come in (legally nog al!)
3.Violent assault in Australia is just under 25% higher than SA (Interpol)
To book a talk for your staff, clients, pupils or congregants mail justin@scsh.co.za.