In a scathing indictment on Mbeki's last 10 years of rule, the institute listed crime, inadequate border control, unemployment, education and corruption as some of the key areas where government had failed.

"...

poor and ineffective governance had created a tinder box of unmet expectations which exploded in Alexandra and has now spread to several other areas.

"Essentially these failures contributed to create a perfect storm of lawlessness, poverty, and unfulfilled expectations which has now erupted into violence," the SAIRR said in a statement.

It said government's failure to bring the high levels of violent crime under control contributed to an environment where people resorted "to violence without fear of arrest or successful prosecution".

"In failing to maintain the rule of law the state had conditioned many poor communities to violent behaviour," it said.

Incompetence in the safety and security ministry and corruption in the police as well as affirmative action had diminished the capacity of the police to ensure a safe environment in the country.

"Warnings to this effect from a variety of sources had been largely ignored or treated with arrogance and contempt from the office of the minister of safety and security downwards.

"That not a single minister or deputy minister responsible for law and order, justice, or prisons was dismissed over close on 10 years of Thabo Mbeki's presidency suggests that the government was either unable to identify the risks presented by lawlessness or had resigned itself to the consequences."

The collapse of border control mechanisms caused millions to enter the country illegally, and poor policy decisions contributed to the large illegal population in the country.

"Without adequate legal standing in the community these people became easy or soft targets for mob violence.

The police's own heavy-handed raids on illegal immigrants further created the impression that they were fair game in South Africa."

Unemployment was also a direct contributing cause of the violence, the SAIRR said.

Education was cited as "government's biggest failure" and was also to blame for the high unemployment rates.

"Only one per cent of black matriculants achieve a good HG (higher grade) maths pass.

The output of the school education system was therefore far from adequate to free households from state dependency or to acquire the skills necessary to find employment in a heavily regulated labour market.

"The education system is a good example where policy failures in one area compounded those in another.

The institute further described government's policy on Zimbabwe as "wholly inappropriate and incompetent".

Nampa-Sapa

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