On opening the on Monday I read of the brutal killing last Friday of a shopkeeper named Faizal in Bishop Lavis – possibly for extortion regarding protection fees.
And I read about the men arrested for the shooting at pointblank range of a woman, Christine Gumira, who was gunned down after leaving the Wynberg Magistrate’s Court two Thursdays ago. She was allegedly a witness in a court case.
And I read about the man who was fatally wounded yesterday morning in the city centre, apparently after an altercation with his girlfriend.
These are just a sample of the killings and violence that are reported virtually on a daily basis by the Argus. And I mean every day! And it just doesn’t stop. And then, on the opposite page, I read about volunteers who undertook a conservation project this weekend to save the Table Mountain ghost frog.
These volunteers were from the SANParks honorary rangers and it was a collaborative effort with the Freshwater Ecosystems Project.
What is interesting is that to better understand the threat to the endangered ghost frog, several organisations, including the SA National Biodiversity Institute, the Endangered Wildlife Trust, SANParks, Cape Nature and UCT, came together some years back to form the Freshwater Ecosystems Project.
When I read and considered these two scenarios, I had to ask: If sensitive people of goodwill can come together to save the frog, why can’t politicians in the government do the same to save our people?
What it takes is collective responsibility, ministers with a deep understanding of the value of human life, coupled with the determination to prevent the threat to our country’s “endangered” people and will and passion to get it done.
Crime is out of control. The first responsibility of a government is to protect its people. On this front, there is currently no responsibility, no accountability, no commitment, no determination. And no will and passion.
Our political leadership could well learn a lesson from what it takes to save a frog.
* Rod Waner, Sea Point.
** The views expressed here are not necessarily those of Independent Media.
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