Collective thinking must evolve.
Recently I read a report in the Argus where a criminal argued in mitigation of sentence.
He stated that the court should be aware that he had more than 20 children from several women and they would have problems with upkeep if he went to prison though he was a career criminal. The public gallery was upset that a thug sired so many kids and had the gall to use it in mitigation.
Since our hospitals remain overwhelmed by the intoxicated and innocent tax and ratepayers stand in queues for services, we must ask, if the current way of doing things, is really working?
South Africa is wealthy in terms of natural mineral resources. Sadly, the wealth is unfairly distributed for historical reasons. Colonialism and Apartheid are two reasons. Corruption is a third. Ignorance and stupidity may in my opinion, be our nation’s biggest problem.
Since Colonialism and Apartheid is historical, I doubt, if our politicians have the courage to demand reparation from the British or Dutch. Also those who profited from Apartheid remain unaccountable. Many have strategically coopted the new elite as BEE partners. To look into the past for justice will remain a theoretical story as the elite have made agreements which does not involve ordinary folk.
So, we must focus on the future by limiting current corruption and stupidity.
We must look to the “top and the bottom” to uncover how we can avert a revolution caused by the outrage of ordinary folk who witness the wastage of our rates and taxes on the corrupt and stupid.
The “top” is the corrupt that must be handled with harsh penalty to send a message to all public servants, politicians and business that corruption is dangerous. Our society must insist that the judiciary instill fear into the core of the corrupt with a minimum 10year sentence.
The “bottom” denotes those who create problems. Example, having to many kids and then expect other rate/tax payers to pay the cost. The point is simple., if you can sustain your progeny with legal income, then the state should not interfere with your choices. However, if not, the state has a duty to protect the interest of its rate/taxpayers and limit the ability to create liability with sterilization.
Global over-population by those unable to care for themselves is genuine. Oddly, violent criminals are sustained for decades at taxpayers’ cost. Human evolution demands genuine change in thinking.
Cllr Yagyah Adams
Cape Muslim Congress