Time to broaden the definition of treason
WHILE the Oxford Classical Dictionary defines treason as “betraying of the government or an attempt to overthrow it”, it seems that in today’s modern world there could be an argument for expanding it to acts that endanger the wellbeing of the state.
Basic needs such as water and electricity seem at times to be at risk due to wildcat strikes at water stations and the power stations or even the theft of cable at substations.
We recently had the case in KwaZulu-Natal where angry people reportedly emptied reservoirs in frustration about who knows what. The act itself, while criminal, should also be seen as treasonable in a wider definition.
Wildcat strikes at Medupi and other power generators are again illegal in terms of the Labour Relations Act, but against the backdrop of the massive problem the country has of keeping the lights on for existing consumers, let alone potential investors, surely there is a case for economic treason?
It’s a bit of a stretch, but perhaps the poaching of endangered wildlife such as rhino and perlemoen would be better served with a change in the law making this also an environmentally treasonable offence with the concomitant longer sentences this would attract to those found guilty.
Perhaps it would result in scenes like that shown in the attached photo taken in the flower reserve between Walker Drive and Gonubie Street in Sherwood where perlemoen poachers have simply dumped the shells in an act of total arrogance.
Malcolm Dodds, Sherwood, Port Elizabeth