Pretoria - Ten thousand people took part in a protest march against spiralling crime in the South African capital Pretoria on Tuesday.

The size of the demonstration was way below the number organizer Desmond Dube had expected to take part. Dube, an actor, had called for a "million man march" to protest high levels of crime in South Africa after his neighbour was murdered.

Speakers at the protest urged the government to take seriously the massive levels of brutal violence that the population had to face each day.

"The leadership needs to take people seriously. They are sending the wrong message to the country ... that people are not important," Dube said.

Correctional Services Minister Ngconde Balfour, who was presented with a memorandum detailing the effects of crime on South Africans, was jeered by the crowd when he said the government guaranteed protection for each individual.

South Africa has one of the world's highest crime rates, with 52 murders daily. The official figure for the number of rapes every day is 150, although the true figure is thought to be much higher.

Although the government claims to have brought down crime figures slightly in recent years, crime is repeatedly named in opinion polls as the most important reason for emigrating from South Africa.

More than 100 police officers are killed in the line of duty every year. (dpa)