Cliff Buchler
Cape Town - Covid-19 is bad enough, but it’s not the only virus overpowering our nation.
It’s not life-threatening, and although we don’t suffer physical afflictions except some acute diarrhoea, the moral fibre of the community-at-large is being slowly but surely eroded.
The main symptom is deep depression. Unlike Covid-19, scientists can’t come up with a vaccine for what I call Crime A1. I toyed with the word Barbaric A1, but I fear being called racist.
When do the symptoms kick in? Each time you read of or view a crime report in which perpetrators have committed acts of violence with the sole intent of destroying property earmarked for enriching lives in struggling communities like schools.
In the latest one, vandals – not finding luxury items normally associated with richer institutions (this was a poor primary school battling to make ends meet) – ripped out conduits conveying water to taps and toilets, leaving walls with holes and deep scratch marks, and smashed desks and chairs.
All these items cost an arm and a leg that the school cannot afford.
Crime A1 attacks those who cannot stomach the carnage meted out on an institution trying to educate and prepare its learners to better themselves after school.
What example have these marauders set for the youngsters? What goes through the young minds when witnessing their precious school being vandalised?
Depression struck me when a reporter interviewed a learner.
“Why are you doing this to us? Do we deserve it? There’s not enough money to fix what you’ve destroyed,” was the gist of her pleading.
The principal had similar thoughts, with tears nearly surfacing. Then, the farm murders. One understands poverty plays a part, with stealing the motive. But why add torture and killing of the elderly farmer to the equation?
Often the killers come away with worthless items.
It’s enough to trigger depression and the runs.
Domestic violence is another element sparking Crime 1A. Without an antivirus you can’t cure the symptoms, with reports of husbands killing their wives with hammers or burning their bodies and stashing the parts in car boots.
Or the raping of babies. Seriously, there is an antidote staring us in the face, one about which the ANC is pussyfooting.
It’s called ELE-MJ – a strong combination of effective law enforcement and a merciless judiciary.
Together with a comprehensive vaccination campaign, it would do what the Covid-19 antivirus did – keep Crime A1 in check.
Buchler was the managing editor of Johannesburg community newspapers for over 30 years. He has since retired to Cape Town and continues to write letters and articles for the news media.
Cape Times
** The views expressed do not necessarily reflect the views of Independent Media or IOL.