By Mitch Launspach
At what point can the party that received the most votes in the last election, cease to be considered the government?
Most South Africans have become so accustomed to house robberies, hijackings and farm attacks, that they report the crimes for insurance purposes, rather than in the hope that the perpetrators might be caught.
Lately, we have seen an increase in large-scale and increasingly violent crimes particularly. For example, 400 townships schools were looted of vital equipment like computers, and then torched. A huge portion of our rail infrastructure was looted and destroyed. The torching of carriages, specifically in the Western Cape, has been exacerbated by the torching of dozens of trucks travelling the highways from the coast to Gauteng.
The construction Mafia has been holding construction projects to ransom, insisting that unqualified locals be employed. I have yet to hear of any arrests. The taxi Mafia threaten companies and private individuals who provide transport for their workers. The Mafia accuses them of “stealing their customers”. They impound the vehicles, which they have no right to do. A case of extortion but police avoid getting involved. Another phenomenon is the hijacking of unoccupied houses. Appeals to the police are ignored.
The situation is hardly surprising, considering the behaviour of the leader of a party represented in Parliament. EFF leader Julius Malema threatened SAPS members, stating that if the police wanted a fight, they must declare it. His threats were disturbing: “We will go to their homes and fight them in their own houses with their own families.” No charges have been laid against Malema.
The government ministers and the president have been silent. At what point do law-abiding citizens have the right to take the necessary measures to protect their loved ones, their workers and their businesses?
In other countries militias form to fill the vacuum. If citizens are forced to take this drastic step, due to the incompetence and corruption of our security forces and our elected officials, we are on the slippery slope to anarchy.
The Star