THE funerals of Alan and Sandy Monswamy; their children, Kraidon and Shamarie; and relatives, Cliffy Padayachee, Mooniamma Padayachee and Mariamma Appanah; took place at the Stanger High School Sports Ground on Sunday.
Image: Tumi Pakkies/Independent Media
Every so often (more often than not of late), we are galled and enraged by news of despicable and atrocious cold-blooded murders of our fellow citizens. The Newark massacre of seven family members being the latest.
I have long been of the opinion that if anyone is guilty of rape and cold-blooded murder, then their right to live ceases, and that they should be put to death. This opinion is predicated on the simple belief that nobody has any right to deprive another of their sanctity of life and dignity, and any transgression to deny same must be punishable by the ultimate penalty.
Human rights activists, religious pundits and those who will never walk in the shoes of the defenceless victims, may argue otherwise, but such arguments become moot and unavailing if these holier-than-thou exponents are asked a simple question: "would you want to be brutally murdered and raped by thuggish criminals in the most repulsive, repugnant and inhumane manner possible, or simply to be deprived of your life just because some thug decides on whether you should live or not?"
Having been a victim of no fewer than five house invasions at gunpoint, with a murder being committed in my home, I am long past the forgiving phase that we are repeatedly told to practice. Forgive who and for what? The aspect that concerns me even more is our system of crime prevention and indeed our justice system. Is it not ironical that in trying to lure voters in 1994, the ANC boasted the "Freedom Charter" with the clause "security and safety for all", and sadly it is this very ANC that has allowed rampant crime to proliferate to unacceptable levels the country over?
Is it not ironical that we have more private security officers in South Africa than actual state-employed police officers to help combat crime? Further our justice system leaves much to be desired to the extent that its wheels turn very slowly for one; and the sentences imposed (in the absence of the death penalty) for capital crimes, are not severe or long enough to create a deterrence of any kind.
The rate of recidivism is on the increase. The aspect of parole for "good behaviour" is another joke of our system – an absolute laughable heresy. The single act of a cold-blooded murder cannot be mitigated by any form of leniency except that of a permanent removal from society. If one chooses to deny another the right to live, then the same must apply reciprocally by society to the murderer. It is not surprising that an exasperated society is resorting to mob justice as heinous crimes are being committed unabated.
The South African government may not eliminate crime, totally but putting mechanisms into place such as increasing police visibility and law enforcement, changing legislation to even draconian measures against vicious criminals, and even deploying our dormant army into assisting the fight against crime, will go a long way in reducing the crime rate.
We must also be wary and cognisant of the fact that the Newark massacre will be targeted by unscrupulous politicians and those aspiring to political office, to advance their agendas since the victims were "Indians" and the alleged perpetrators were "black". Crime is crime is crime – and it must be targeted as such and not relegated to a racial level, irrespective of who the victims and perpetrators are.
South African society is at the end of its tether in terms of rampant crime, and until and unless drastic and radical action is taken by the government and by the "old farts" sitting in the government who give short shrift to crime, we will forever be plagued by this scourge. For how long and on how many more occasions are we to visit crime scenes offering condolences to families for the unnecessary murder of their loved ones?
A call for a referendum on the death penalty must be on the cards to ascertain what citizens actually think and want. My call to President Cyril Ramaphosa as head of this country is to wake up and protect the citizens and stop paying lip service to the aspect of crime – innocent people are being mercilessly murdered, and as president he is duty-bound to act – and act decisively.
NAREND GANESH
Durban North
** The views expressed do not necessarily reflect the views of IOL or Independent Media.
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