We need to talk about who we label criminals. It is the times of femicide and rapes, the times of pedicide and mutilated bodies strewn and etched in our minds.
But to whom do we attribute these societal ills when we refuse to acknowledge the changing face of the perpetrator: when an allegation of rape surfaces, we are quick to defend the dignity of the accused and not, at the very least, stay silent pending a court outcome.
Littering the archives are the numerous pleas for help when our kin goes missing. Sadly bodies are unearthed… I have always felt that the untouchables gaining traction in South Africa is a hindrance to the growth of the country.
If the leadership we are electing are the reason so many families are mourning their daughters, searching for their missing daughters and attending court cases seeking justice for their sisters we, as a country, should admit we have a problem – and that problem, on face value, wears pants…
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If the leadership we hold in high esteem is the reason we cannot dig our way from the back row of a class of corruption, we are failing. We have failed. This nation should not be regressing; we should be thriving. But instead of progress and development, we can only note corruption, racketeering and, now, death threats.
Where in the world are we? I’m dismayed that those investigating tender irregularities must now, as second nature, fear for their lives… At the top of all this is the leadership of our country. Those that take the oath of office and then break the law must be chastised, arrested and punished.
Criminals are given lenient sentences … all because political influence allows red tape to protect those that have brought our economy to its knees. Come elections, it is with this very dismal track record that parties will ask us to give them another chance.
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Prosecute these ministers, MECs and political figureheads. Lock them up and throw away the key. They are the rotten head of the fish that encourages crime to continue in our beautiful country. Hold them accountable.
