SA violence needs to be addressed
President Jacob Zuma said recently South Africans have a history of violence and this has influenced how we resolve disputes or vent frustrations. He was right. But it goes further. It’s not just average folk who resort to violence. Violence has been the modus operandi of criminals for a long time, making this country a frightening place to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.
Anecdotally, foreigners are scared of Johannesburg. We recall former president Thabo Mbeki saying it was a matter of perception; well, the perception is that this country has a very high violent crime rate.
Surveys show the crimes people fear most are contact crimes in their homes, work places and hijackings, among others. The common thread is armed criminals who don’t hesitate to take a life for a cellphone. Many citizens go to sleep and drive around with guns, with the view they are necessary to protect themselves. These same citizens, part of the stress and trauma of a violent country, sometimes “lose it” too – resulting in even more violence.
Recently, two unrelated incidents highlighted the dichotomy between premeditated crime and momentary violence, which may well result in a violent crime.
Former soccer star Benni McCarthy was held up and robbed in Melrose Arch recently. Brazen criminals knew what they wanted and executed their plan. Being South Africans, we all know how this could have ended had the criminals panicked. It is always a blessing when the victim is unharmed. It is impossible to name all the dead victims of armed robberies.
The other incident was a road-rage shooting in Kempton Park yesterday morning, which resulted in a death. There can be no excuse for ever attacking or killing a fellow road user. However, abusive language and any gesture should be out of the question too.
What you think is a little hand gesture and aggressive remark could result in a bullet in your head. A sobering thought. That is not pleasant at all. Not only do we fear criminals in South Africa, but our fellow citizens too, who are apparently one road-rage incident away from committing a violent crime.
It is well and truly time government and civil society take this seriously. The endemic violence of this country does not end there – protests, xenophobia, even the way we drive, is violent. Let’s think about how we are bringing up our children and change what we can.