Siphokazi Booi was murdered in September 2021, allegedly by her boyfriend. Sithobele Qebe was arrested for allegedly assaulting her but was out on bail at the time of the murder.

Booi's dismembered and charred body was dumped in a wheelie bin not far from where her boyfriend lived. Qebe is currently in prison, awaiting trial, and will return to court in December.

Booi's aunt, Nonthando, fears that he will be released. "I just think that when he gets out of jail, he will do that again to me."

Action Society, a civil rights lobby group, is trying to support Nonthando during the court process. 

Nonthando received free counselling from social workers only once.

In Cape Town, personal trainer Leske Neethling is haunted by the murder of her mother on her farm in Wellington 17 years ago.

Her mother had picked up casual workers from the Mbekweni township, and they had worked for her for the day, but she told them they didn't need to return.

But they returned the next day and stabbed her in the heart, killing her instantly.

It has taken Leske years to come to terms with her mother's murder. The killers were recently released on parole.

She has no faith in the criminal justice system and had a terrifying experience while riding her bike in the mountains.

She was attacked and pulled off her bike but fought back, and the suspect ran away.

But, when she reported it to the police, they failed to arrest the attacker and allegedly told her that because she wasn't raped, there was no need to pursue the case.

"It's lawless; it's the wild, wild west here for sure; it's party time for a criminal in South Africa. It's definitely a paradise for the criminals in the country."

Janelle Laattoe feels the same.

She was in an abusive relationship for three years, and when she finally turned to the police for help, she felt let down.

First, the case was withdrawn, and then the docket mysteriously vanished when it was eventually reinstated.

It turned up just two days after the media got wind of the story.

As crime continues to spiral out of control, some ordinary South Africans are fighting back.

In A Criminal's Paradise: Part 2, we meet some heroes who are trying to make the country safer.

One of them is Thembeka Banjwa.

She is 65 years old, but you'll find her walking the streets of New Crossroads, a township in Cape Town, every morning at 05:00.

She is a neighbourhood watch volunteer and believes that if the law-abiding members of her community stand together, they can make a difference.

Vanessa Lynch is another South African who has been working tirelessly for decades to improve the criminal justice system.

Her father was murdered in his home in Johannesburg in 2004.

An inadequate crime scene investigation meant there was little chance police would ever catch the perpetrators.

And so, Lynch started the DNA Project, which would take her into the halls of Parliament, where she would lobby for new laws.

She believes there is still hope for South Africa.

"I don't think the war is lost yet. We've all got to fight harder and find ways to overcome this imbalance that allows the criminals to have such power over the majority of the population. We need to rise up against it."