We will not let another daughter die in vain

STAND with the people of Chatsworth.

With the tragic loss of 9-yearold Sadia Sukhraj in a botched hijacking, emotions ran high in the Chatsworth community. Residents protested against the bail application for the accused and pleaded for justice to be served.

The Chatsworth community stood united for a common cause, to stop crime in the area. News stations across the world watched with bated breath as men, women, children and the elderly were teargassed and shot with rubber bullets.

Many had serious injuries, including a pensioner who had to wait three hours in a cell before police took him to hospital for surgery when his leg was broken.

Police Minister Bheki Cele said, in connection with the attempted hijacking, that “we have arrested a man who has a string of criminal cases‚ car-jacking and attempted murder”.

“I am told he was sentenced to seven years in 2013, I don’t know how people like him get parole… the one that is dead has also got a long list of criminal activity; so does the third one.”

All three of the accused had been arrested, charged and jailed previously for their crimes and yet they were still released.

When asked about the fate of the accused, Cele said: “Hopefully they get life sentences because they have a string of crimes against them.”

Hopefully? Hope is a dream, Mr Cele – implementation is practical.

The Department of Justice must implement an unbreakable law compelling all criminals to serve life sentences with no possibility of parole. Either that or we demand that the government bring back the death penalty.

In certain parts of the US, murder is a crime that is punishable by death or life imprisonment. In Saudi Arabia criminals are sentenced to death for murder.

These strict laws are the reason why these countries do not have the massive crime statistics as we do. It is a deterrent to would-be criminals. We need to learn from those countries in order to implement swift justice for the safety of all South Africans.

Some may argue that there is overcrowding in prisons, with not enough space for the influx of longterm convicts.

As a result, first-time offenders are usually released long before their full sentence has been served. Research suggests that more than 80% of freed first-time law-breakers become repeat offenders (Nicro Public Education Series, 2014).

The government needs to set aside a budget to build new prisons in each province to manage the overflow. Priority should be given to the safety of our citizens.

After the Chatsworth community protest, crime incidents did not stop. In another hijacking in Avoca, Durban, a few days later, a father was shot in front of his young children. Criminals have not been fazed by any of the strategies meant to stop them, if anything, it has made them even more brazen in their revolt against the police.

These hardened criminals need to understand that South Africans will not tolerate this kind of behaviour any more.

We are rising up against crime. We will not let another daughter die in vain. We will not stand by as another father is murdered in front of his children. We will not watch as our families suffer.

We will fight to protect our families by any means possible. Criminals beware!