Poverty is a weapon of mass destruction

POVERTY will ultimately destroy democracy in South Africa. It was Aristotle [384322BC] who said “Poverty is the parent of revolution and crime”.

Chronic unemployment leads to crime and eventually to violent crimes and murder on a daily basis. Sadly only 30% of SA’S murders are solved.

Statistics reveal that suspects are only detected in less than a third of the murder cases opened.

It is extremely disheartening that despite the abundant natural and human resources our country is blessed with, endemic poverty is a critical and major problem.

History graphically records the grim consequences of not attending to the clear warning signs associated with rising poverty.

Escalating poverty is indeed a weapon of mass destruction. According to the World Food Bank, 11 million South Africans go to bed hungry every day.

At some point it will explode into violence. A hungry human being becomes fearless, and we will have to bear the grim consequences.

In our volatile environment, it has assumed unprecedented and unacceptable levels, manifesting not only in an abysmal decline in economic indicators and trends, but more glaringly and tragically in the suffering, hardship and general impoverishment of the vast majority of the people.

Marikana must serve as a warning that poverty knows no fear.

The average South African is far worse off than he was 30 years ago. We still wallow in abject poverty, despite our stupendous wealth.

The rising incidence of poverty poses a serious and deadly threat to the democratisation process – and 25% of our workforce is unemployed. Six million people are out of work. Five million people live in squatter camps, amid squalor and human degradation.

Our highly unequal cities and metropolitan areas are a ticking time bomb waiting to explode.

Critical factors are being ignored on a daily basis. Poverty, family dysfunction and chronic unemployment will serve as a catalyst that will rock South Africa into a turbulence zone, that will engulf this country in an orgy of mindless disorder.

There will be no escape route as the tsunami of chaos blocks all escape routes. We urgently need to find sustainable solutions to contain and eradicate poverty.

Time is a luxury we cannot afford. The future of our nation is at stake; we ignore the warning signs at our peril.

FAROUK ARAIE Johannesburg