Incendiary remarks not in interest of justice
WITHOUT going into the merits and demerits on the issues swirling around the murder of Hillary Gardee, there are disturbing statements being made about this case which are irresponsible and which, if we are not careful, will result in chaos and disaster.
We can never claim we feel the pain that those who loved the victim are feeling. But we should be very cautious in reacting to this matter. Emotions are understandable, but rationality cannot be thrown out of the window.
The most recent and very dangerous comment is one made by Veronica Mente of the EFF, after the appearance of the men accused of Gardee’s murder.
Mente is reported to have responded to the complaints by the accused that they been assaulted in custody that so what if they have been “slapped” ?
This may sound innocuous, but accepting that people should be “slapped” around by cops can degenerate into serious assault on accused people who have not been found guilty of anything.
In the same vein, the EFF is reported to have called for a “change” in the Constitution because it favours perpetrators and not victims. But this is very dangerous thinking.
Change it to what? That, if you are accused of a crime, you must be assaulted? There are many who were accused of heinous crimes and were horrendously tortured and even killed, and yet were not guilty.
This emotive kind of response should take the bigger picture into consideration, lest we mess up things for good. And a plea should go to all those who have influence in society – in this case, Julius Malema, the leader of the EFF – to avoid making incendiary comments that will be to the detriment of society in the long run.
South Africans have committed themselves to this new dispensation and they should abide by it, otherwise we should jettison it and go back to the barbarism of the past.