what to do

jun 12 2006

i've thought about the increasing levels of crime. please don't tell me the stats say that crime is decreasing, because it isn't... there have been a spat of robberies in duynefontein recently - residents and police are linking it to the eskom drive to get people using energy effecient light bulbs and warm blankets on their geysers. the houses are being marked according to the difficultly the robbers would experience in the robbery attempt. so violence could be possible. i'm not saying eskom is involved, there is speculation that the people employed by eskom to distribute these items are involved.

this sucks. this is a place where i have grown up and known for most of my life. it's a sleepy town, where when you drive through it there aren't many walls around the yards. garages are left open with no-one in sight and lots of 'goodies' to be seen... there's hardly been any crime in this town and in one evening last week more than 8 houses were robbed!

earlier, i was reading carte blanche's site at the recent stories section (i went there to read this - unrelated) and came across this expat story and later clicked through to see some expats posts and their stories...

i am stressed out about crime. my world revolves around ways to keep my stuff safe from criminal elements and working hard to get my stuff.

so what's the solution? these people don't have stuff and want stuff. should they get a job and buy their own stuff? are they illiterate and unemployable? do they need further education? are they hungry and needing to feed their families?

there could be a ton of reasons why my stuff and your stuff gets stolen. there has got to be a solid first step to getting our society working better than it is right now. should we emply more police and build more prisons? what about all the corruption (case dockets going missing in murder cases)? why does it seem like only carte blanche is asking these questions and all other forms of media are not? why are we so tolerant about it? should i buy a gun? and why are criminals walking around so freely (brazenly) while we increasingly become prisoners on our homes?

there's got to be a solution, i don't feel positive about south africa's future when i read about all the crime. i love this country and i always hope for the best, but lately i'm seriously worried about our future...

how do we make our country a better place for everyone?

Posted by sarah | ranting, debate, crime

comments

craig | 2006-06-14 17:11:58

You're never gonna be able to combat any major thing like crime on any large scale on your own. Because we are individuals, it is our basic flaw that we attempt to solve such issues on that same individual basis. As unimpressionable as it sounds, talking about this problem (like any of the problems affecting many of us) and sharing this concern with others is a bigger step than you think. And because others are like-minded and talk about it as well, so the issue gathers more light upon it until you have a situation where people's concerns are voiced more in the papers, on television, the radio. And thankfully, as well to a point where ignorant politicians can receive backlash from the people for treating the issue irresponsibly. It's never gonna happen overnight, but when more and more people finally begin to realise just how much of it all affects them, personally, critical mass will invariably dictate a more constructive direction.
One way to let people & government know of such concern?
Well, do like most civilized countries have done throughout history: start rallies, organize walks, write letters with the backing of many, be heard so that communities have their voice. And vote.

One of the biggest problems in the world are guns. It's sole purpose is to take life. I don't know many stories of a gun saving a life as outweighing the amount of stories where a gun has been used on its owner.

oj simpson | 2006-06-13 08:45:35

a pediofile once said" i'm starting with the man in the mirror..." this is the heart of the problem. not only do we take it lying down, but we are told how to act by people who don't know how to act themselves. buy a gun? personally i have no problem with the theory, and would probably invest in such a measure of protection myself. unfortunately as you mentioned, the gun, is not the only problem. lost dockets, shoddy police work, even the government's stance on crime and punishment is absurd. my opinion - look after you and yours by any means possible - by this i don't mean the car that has insurance, or the workshop which is also insured. you and yours are things that can not be replaced with insurance. these are things i will protect with the same level of reckless abandon seen in our leadership.