Re: South Africa's crime epidemic: A nation in crisis

[Coming to California]

AlleyCat <a...@aohell.com> wrote in news:smjpb9$l6g$4...@news.dns-netz.com:

> California cities run by niggers and collapsing because of increased
> crime.

The opinion piece below discusses the issue of rising crime and violence
in South Africa following the recent violent murder of famous rapper and
DJ, AKA. Author, Tebogo Ramaphoko Ka-Sewapa, questions whether the
country is becoming more violent and dangerous to live in, and whether
crime and lawlessness are becoming normalised. Ka-Sewapa suggests that
unemployment and economic exclusion, political instability, bad
governance, and corruption are some of the factors contributing to the
rise of criminal behaviour in the country. The article emphasises that
crime is morally reprehensible and legally proscribed and that strong
governmental institutions of justice are needed to address this problem.
It advocates for retributive justice and a strong sense of the rule of
law to restore the legal balance disturbed by the commission of the
crime. Find this opinion piece below.

South Africa must not become a more dangerous and unliveable state
By Tebogo Ramaphoko Ka-Sewapa*

The recent violent murder of a celebrated South African rapper and DJ
AKA should teach us that something is not okay with our country. Are we
becoming more violent and dangerous nation to live in? Are we allowing
crime and lawlessness to become a norm in our minds? Most people,
especially youths, finds themselves unemployed and economically excluded
and as a result they would do whatever it takes for their survival, and
doing so by engaging in criminal activities. Crime is wrong, and this
should concern us all. It robs people of their lives and property, which
are a foundational for a constitutional democracy in a progressing
nation.

Crime seems as if it is being normalised – to both victims
(communities), and perpetrators (those living the proceeds of crime).
This should not be so: crime is not good, it is bad, it is immoral, it
is an act of lawlessness, it should not be desired. It takes us
backwards as a nation.

Crime and violence come in many ways. Criminologists may agree that in
most cases criminal behaviour begins at an individual’s state of mind to
break the law. People often argue they never knew certain acts were
proscribed by law. Ignorance of the law is no excuse.

Read more: Helen Zille: Inside out – how corruption and crime have
infiltrated SA’s institutions

Jurisprudentially speaking, there are various factors that lead to
people becoming lawlessness and/or inclining to a culture of violence
and criminality. One such factor is political instability and bad
governance. The more government is corrupt and state officials
(including politicians) evading the law and becoming lawless, the more
individuals in society would have a “don’t care” culture. The result
would be anarchistic kind of behaviour that leads to gradual
lawlessness, instability and then the rule of law would become
insignificant.

Most people would agree that corruption is a serious scourge in every
society. Those in power are often involved in corrupt and criminal
scandals, and as such instead of them facing the consequences of
breaking the law (which is jailtime), they are however walking free in
expensive cars and luxurious living. This tells us something. A wrong
message is being passed to young people, even to anyone out there, that
as if crime does pay, and it pays well. This is wrong because
consequently everyone would desire accumulation of material things that
comes in a wrongful and criminal manner, so they survive and live a fake
‘decent lifestyle’.

Crime is morally reprehensible and legally proscribed and should never
be celebrated nor desirable in any way. Proceeds of criminality should
be jailtime, not luxuries. Both the rich and the poor, politician and a
follower, the trader and the customer should face the consequences of
breaking the law alike. South Africa needs strong governmental
institutions of administration of justice to deal with a problem of
crime so rampant and spreading like wildfire in the country.

Government has two main core functions: protection of life and
protection of property. Failed governments are those that disregard a
right to life and a right to private property. The fundamental task of
government officials and security forces should be protection of life
and of property. Sadly, in South Africa today most people are being
murdered simply because of what they own. It is much easier for an
individual to be murdered in the streets of our cities and towns for a
mere hand watch or a cheaper cellular phone, something of less value as
compared to sanctity of human life. What have we become as human beings!

Legal standard of protection of life and property should be higher
always. Infringing on the natural law right to life and a right to own
and keep one’s property should receive full attention and face a full
strength of the law, with no excuses nor exceptions.

Read more: SA’s growing organised crime epidemic: is it becoming a
“Mafia State?”

Society must have a strong sense of the rule of law. Retributive justice
should be embraced, rather than the so-called reformative justice.
Retribution is not lex talionis (the principle of reciprocal justice
contained in the Code of Hammurabi and the biblical Old Testament
tradition). Retributive justice should mean a restoration of the legal
balance which has been disturbed by the commission of the crime. It is
wrong to beg criminals to stop committing crime. They should be punished
and deterred, so a strong message should be sent to the entire society:
that crime does not pay and those who commit a crime against life and
property should receive a harsher punishment proportionate to the extent
of the arm they caused.

Arguably, the post-Mbeki government is failing. They are failing to
uphold and maintain the precepts and standards of the Constitution and
the Rule of Law. The Constitution is clear that this Republic is founded
on the principles of the rule of law, as well as the respect and
promotion of fundamental human rights and freedoms, amongst others.
However, it seems post-Mbeki government is ignoring or failing to send
strong message to criminals and society at large. Crime is so rampant in
South Africa, statistics shows that the murder rate increased rapidly
towards the end of Apartheid, reaching a peak in 1993 and since then the
situation is worsening. The current situation, as far as crime is
concerned, is very seriously concerning more especially crime against
life and property.

Read more: The ANC’s cadre deployment policy has come back to haunt them

Crime is a serious threat to our constitutional democracy and our
nation’s capability to be on par with developed and happy nations of the
world. We are a sad nation, but there is still potential to all of us
urgently act rightly so we fix this nation. We hear of murders and
violence always, and it is now fearful. People’s mindset has become more
and more crime inclined. Are we forgetting what makes us humans – a good
sense of morality and decency! South Africa has a weaker political
governance and institutions that fails to ensure a good message is sent
to communities and individuals in order to deter and make them think
twice before committing crime. A response to crime must always be rapid
and harsher. Our government must not fail us as far as crime prevention
is concerned.

Who should be blamed, in all this crisis? Individuals, or those
governing the individuals? Well, politicians are to be blamed here, more
especially the post-Mbeki political order. We need a good moral
leadership in all spheres of government. Leaders must be free from crime
so followers would do the same. It is fearful to say we have become a
troubled society that is soaking on bloodshed and with no respect to
values that makes us a desirable nation. We must address these issues
with no fear, and out of patriotic love to our motherland. No party
favouritism, we must tell the truth based on facts and statistics. The
fact is, it is safer to walk streets of Cape Town or Stellenbosch at
nights than walking streets of Johannesburg or Kempton Park! The latter
have become terribly fearful dens of criminals, thieves and robbers.
State institutions must be crime free and so they eradicate a criminal
problem in our society. We need a good government.

*Tebogo Ramaphoko Ka-Sewapa holds Cert. in Criminology (Technikon
Pretoria), LL. B (UNISA), PGDip Theol., Magister Theologiae – MTh
(ethics and moral formation) (Stellenbosch University). He is a
theologian, a lawyer, and an agent for social change. He recently
participated in the academic Trans-Atlantic Summer Institute (TASI) held
at the University of Minnesota in the United States of America.

https://www.biznews.com/thought-leaders/2023/02/21/south-africas-crime-ep
idemic-nation-crisis