A revolution against crime
In many people’s lives, there’s a time when a defining moment arrives. It sneaks up on you most of the time because you’re not expecting it, not really wanting it to appear or happen.
That’s what happened to the families of hijacking victims, little Sadia Sukhraj and father of two, Kelly Chetty. I always say we would never know sorrow or pain until we have a personal encounter.
If you are reading this, how will you be feeling if Sukhraj was your baby girl or Chetty was your doting dad or husband?
It seems that the sanctity of human life has reached its final vortex and is spinning out of control. Every goodbye to your loved ones could be your last and every meal with your family could be your last. How can we live knowing that when we leave for work in the morning, we may never return?
Recently a clip went viral on social media when two black parolees bragged about how they murder and rob for a living. They stated that if they don’t get money they will put the baby in the microwave oven and roast it or slice the wife’s throat.
This is modern day South Africa which has been besieged by hardcore criminals holding the country hostage. These callous killers crave the act of instilling fear and menace, punctuated by long periods of planning and hiding, spurred on by the delicious repellence and infusion of their next hit.
Predictable larcenies that feed a life of addiction continue unabated. So too are farm murders and patricide. I’m thinking Henri van Breda – what kind of beast will carve his family up like a holiday roast? With a general election coming up, it is the season for political assassinations.
Hostels have become breeding grounds for death and cash-in-transit heists have gained popularity. These criminal elements are enemies of God – a sanctuary for the most unnatural, abominable acts ever conceived by man at his most evil. Violent crime is now a daily part of our lives.
About 19 000 people were murdered in SA between April 2016 and April 2017. Being put on an early flight is part of our risk make up. If you are lucky, you get to live another day.
Our government is helpless, their silence signalling defeat. Our politicians continue to distribute meaningless reassurances, like cheap, boiled sweets at a children’s party. The recent mass protest at the headquarters of the Chatsworth Police played out like a mob of French peasants baying for the blood of Marie Antoinette, as catechism and soliloquy filled the deadly night breeze. It seems the will of the people were tested.
They were filled with a sense of urgency, fiery blaze in their eyes and vigour infused in their steps. No amount of rubber bullets and tear gas could amputate the defiant mood as multi-throated ribaldry and high-grade profanities spilled forth. It seems to me that the seed of a deadly revolution has been sown.
So what are the answers to our problems? Should we increase our efforts at social cohesion to foster racial harmony? Should we revamp a bigger, better, corruption-free police force, with incorrigible and ultra-competent crime investigators? Maybe we should engage a healthier reward system for the vigilante public – a vital source of information?
How about a watertight witness protection programme, with all the perks of a new life? Bail and parole should never be granted to repeat offenders. Police Commissioner, Bheki Cele, recently openly lamented in a speech that a criminal was arrested, who had been out on bail 41 times!
Maybe more power should be delegated to private security companies. Prem Balram’s RUSA have the knack of arriving on crime scenes before the SAPS. The role of bona fide private investigators should be recognised.
Durban’s Brad Nathanson seems to be achieving much success in this field, often sifting out leads where the police have failed.
Most of all, foreigners seeking asylum and work in SA must be stringently vetted, including criminal profiling.
Last but not least, is to bring back the death penalty for rape and murder.
It will go a long way towards serving as a deterrent, help remove the toxic miasma from a decaying judicial system and will bring closure to bereaved families.
While many will say that untimely deaths are just a case of being in the wrong place at the wrong time or part of God’s plans, we all need to be vigilant and constantly aware of our surroundings, otherwise we too could soon be cooling off in a coroner’s fridge. In the meantime, while we work to make the world as we would like it to be, we have to deal with the world as it is.
KEVIN GOVENDER Shallcross