Crime is a political issue
According to Nontando Mposo “Zille calls on army to help stop gang wars” July 9th “ 7 children has died as a result of gang violence over the past five months”. This statistic excludes reports, of 3 children murdered every day in S-Africa. Moreover 100 000 children are currently in foster care because of sexual and other forms of abuse. Drug addiction is identified as the reason for these crimes.
As a conflict mediator, with two decades of experience, I have witnessed drug related crime and addiction surge. This includes intergenerational addiction. This occurs when an (old school) mandrax addict competes with a younger relative who is a tik addict. This concludes that the new addict has learnt no positive values or life lesson from the elder’s addiction and life of crime.
Like many, I have valued hundreds of anti-drug marches and media campaigns and have witnessed the efforts of diverse administrations. Premier Zille and her predecessor Premier Rasool spent millions on prevention campaigns and rehabilitation programs. Similarly, religious leaders have been speaking about the evil of addiction for decades. Also on a regular basis, law enforcement continues to confiscate large quantities of narcotics. In retrospect, the increases in addiction, confirm these efforts as futile. What is obvious is that drug users have no regard for speeches and campaigns. By its very nature an addict is narcissistic. That is why a drug addict is more capable of brutal crimes.
Consequently, when parents have lost hope in the capacity of the police to protect their children from playing in the local park, some-one is going to pay. By refusing to send in the army in order to stabilize the situation and by accusing Premier Zille of politicizing the issue, public opinion will rally against the ANC. In my opinion Police Minister Nathi Mthethwa has misunderstood the problem.
I evoke the headline of the Weekend Argus (Sunday Edition) 25th March 2012, “ANC is plotting with gang bosses” in which DA “Community Safety MEC Dan Plato has accused the ANC of conspiring with gang bosses and even going as far as to bring in criminals from other provinces, to destabilise the Western Cape”. In retrospect, does that direct accusation make current gang violence political?
Because excuses cannot stop bullets, local voters will remember the National Police Ministers refusal come election time. Although the affected areas are currently DA strongholds, the Minister must consider the fact that the vast majority of eligible voters living in those areas remain unregistered. Thousands of other voters, who are registered, do not vote at all. Is this political enough?
In conclusion, when a criminal rapes or murders a defenceless child, how does society benefit from the criminals rehabilitation or imprisonment? In my opinion, child rapist and murderers have many dangerous psychological problems. Why should taxpayers accommodate and rehabilitate them? By permanently removing the criminal from society, taxpayers immediately save on cost. In a nation where the majority accept basic monotheistic ideals, on what divine or ethical code is the rescue of a child rapist or murder based? In the end, what those in political and judicial leadership must realize is that, genuine justice which is an innate human instinct, one way or the other is required.
Yagyah Adams
Cape Muslim Congress