Mbahva (Burglar)
Richard Mudariki (b 1985)
Mbahva (Burglar) - 2016
Oil on canvas
100 x 89,5 cm cm
Signed and dated bottom left
With the rising cost of living and high unemployment, many young
people in the townships have resorted to crime as a means of
survival. According to police reports the most common crime
committed in South Africa is housebreaking. Burglaries are
usually carried out at night as criminals believe they will have
a better chance to escape under the cover of darkness when
most households are asleep. Homeowners’ fear of being burgled
does not only relate to the criminal intrusion and its effect on the
occupants of the home, but it also leads to huge expenses as it
creates the necessity for physical protection of their homes.
Security features such as electric fences, high walls, burglar bars,
monitored alarm systems, security lighting, CCTV cameras, and
an armed response service all adds to the cost of securing one’s
family and property.