And just in case that negativity wasn’t enough, 'patriotic' citizens even start their own websites dedicated solely to exposing and circulating horrific crime stories.

Websites like these give angry and hurt South Africans the opportunity to tell their own gruesome crime stories and ‘warn’ tourists of the dangers of South Africa, but they also fuel the hysteria around the negative aspects of South Africa, and seldom touch o the many positive and wonderful things that South Africa and South Africans have to offer.

While I am not suggesting that the press should refrain from reporting on all the very serious and often horrible aspects of our society, it is perhaps also our responsibility to remind South Africans (and the world) of the great things that this country has to offer. Recognising our achievements is as important as acknowledging our failings.

Welcome then, to www.sagoodnews.co.za; a website dedicated exclusively to the propagation of positive South African news. Proving that there are two sides to every story, we’ve selected a few items from the website that’ll leave you feeling a little more positive about life in SA as we go into 2007.

Cops tackle cash-in-transit heists

Earlier this year, the news was full of reports about the shocking increase in cash-in-transit (CIT) heists which, at one stage, were occurring on an almost daily basis across South Africa, leaving scores of security guards dead.

The good news is that the police tackled the problem head-on and decreased the incidence of CIT heists by an average of 27 percent per month since August. November was a bumper month with a reduction of 45 percent!

Forensic robot outsmarts criminals

Another topic which dominated the news this past year was the inefficiency of the forensic science laboratories and the fact that a lot of criminal evidence was being ‘lost’.

In September, a R75-million forensic system was unveiled at a new laboratory in Pretoria. The components of the system, which is the first of its kind in the world, are linked together by a forensic robot.

The system will help investigating officers share information more effectively, which will speed up the investigation process. It can process an astonishing 800 samples a day which will significantly decrease the pressure on the staff of 50 analysts which currently only processes between 200 and 300 samples a day.

The system will also guard against evidence being tampered with or ‘lost’. The staff can only access the system through secure biometric doorways which read their fingerprints. Once the sample is in the system, it has no further contact with humans until it has been completely processed. This limits the possibility for contamination considerably.

South Africans should be excited about this new system not only because it will make the justice system more effective, but also because it is a ground-breaking achievement.

Confidence in SA is increasing

Many South Africans have little faith in the country’s economy and fear that certain political changes will negatively affect foreign investment in the country. However, a recent survey by the American Chamber of Commerce (AmCham) found that the majority of American companies operating in South Africa see the business climate as either good or excellent.

More than 90 percent of these companies plan to increase their investment and hire more staff. The study found that 147 of the companies employ (either directly or indirectly) more than 227 000 people and contribute more than R583-million in corporate social investment each year.

SA has the world’s best scenery

Crime has been pegged as a strong deterrent for tourists, but South Africa is still regarded as a top tourist destination.

The South African scenery was voted the best in the world in the 2006 Reader’s Travel Awards by UK magazine Condé Nast Traveller. With an overall score of 94.2 percent, South Africa was voted the fifth best tourist destination, ahead of popular destinations such as Thailand, France, Greece and Malaysia.

A number of South Africa’s restaurants, hotels and spas also cracked the ‘best in the world’ lists. This is the sixth year in a row that South Africa has been regarded as one of the top 20 tourist destinations.

Stats worth knowing

And in case that hasn’t left you feeling all warm and fuzzy inside, here are some quick stats that should make you proud to be a South African:

• SA has the largest economy in Africa (it is three times bigger than that of Egypt) and accounts for 45 percent of the continent’s GDP.

• SA was the first (and currently only) country in the world to develop nuclear weapons and then voluntarily dismantle them.

• Only 12 countries in the world have potable tap water – SA is one of them.

• UNISA (SA’s correspondence university) is the largest correspondence university in the world with 250 000 students.

• According to Worldaudit.com, SA ranks 35th out of 150 for democracy (the highest ranking country in Africa) and 25th out of 100 for freedom of press.

• According to Doing Business 2007, a joint publication of the World Bank and the International Finance Corporation, South Africa is ranked 29th out of 175 countries for ease of doing business — ahead of Austria, France, Spain, Brazil and India

• Interest rates are currently at a historic 25-year low

• The South African Rand was the best performing currency against the US Dollar between 2002 and 2005, according to the Bloomberg Currency Scorecard

• Stellenbosch University was the first university in the world to design and launch a microsatellite