Wednesday, March 31,
1999
Anger and Mourning in
You never appreciate life until it's gone. This harsh reality became painfully palpable
this morning when the terrible news arrived.
Gavin Jacobson, a very close friend of
I always heard that most South Africans have either been victims of crime or know someone who was a victim. Now I, even as a visitor, fall into the latter category. I just saw him the other night. I talked to him, shook his hand, and bade him farewell. When I said "see ya later," I had no idea there would be no later.
Gavin, a successful hotelier, was 32 years young, a husband
and father of two young children-the oldest is six. His two brothers fled this crime-ridden land
for the safer confines of
was his country, and he wasn't leaving.
Today has been a day of questions. Where is human conscience? Is there a God? How can such terrible things happen to such
wonderful people? Where is
So you think the systems in the
So you cringe when you think of
Lawlessness reigns supreme here. Crime pays. Getting away with murder is a literal rather than a figurative expression.
The men-cowards--who committed this crime are still on the run. But I would bet my life they're not running at all, more like sauntering about, probably within a few kilometers of the crime scene. And even if they're caught, what penalty would there be anyway? A little slap on the wrist. Bail posted within a day or so, back on the street with the rest of "civilized" South Africans.
The death penalty was repealed under African National
Congress mandate. There are now popular
bumper stickers that read: Bring Back
the Death Penalty! A recent editorial
letter in the
sarcastically poked fun at the stickers. It follows:
_______________________________________________________
Death Penalty Alive and Well in SA,
by Patrick Phillips, Daily News,
Monday, March 29th, 1999
I cannot for the life of me understand the reason for these
bumper stickers beseeching all and sundry to "bring back the death
penalty" which happens to be "alive and well" in our new
What cause have we for complaint? Enshrined in the constitution and made law by the government voted into power by the majority of us, is the right to take life without having to pay for it with your own, thus effectively imposing the death penalty on us, the law abiding citizens of the new South Africa.
In the meantime, we will shortly go to the polls again and for as long as we think with our emotions and not our brains, we shall vote for a government which will mismanage, squander, and drain our resources and which would make a tourist destination our of the only prison from where there is no escape (it managed to keep our Nelson safe for some 26 odd years, so that he could become our esteemed president). Now that's rehabilitation for you.
In the meantime, we think of buying blocks of flats and converting mineshafts and such to house our ever-growing population of people convicted of crimes for which pardons are granted before the term of their sentences are served, to make space for others
who will be pardoned fairly quickly to do again what they did in the first place.
In the meantime, we also bemoan the fact that we have the fastest growing population of AIDS-infected people in the world.
People who have the right to go about infecting other people "willy nilly" because we cannot discriminate against them on humanitarian grounds, nor identify them for fear that we shall infringe upon their right to infect countless more who will also die, are again imposing the death penalty.
In the meantime, our taxis run rampant, stop, off-load, overload, all over the road regardless of conditions as long as it can go, unfettered by laws, free from being prosecuted because if there is any attempt to do so, the blockades will cripple the
economy some more, while the death penalty is imposed on their passengers and the passengers of other vehicles; sometimes 20 at a time are wiped out.
Yes my friend, the death penalty is alive and well in
_______________________________________________________
I almost wish I could accept responsibility for such an eloquent letter. Crime victims are not limited to adults. Last week, a woman and her seven year old son went to the Pavillion Mall about 5 kilometers from here. The son had to use the toilet so the mother sent him in alone, told him he was growing up now and he should learn to go on his own. So he went in alone. No big deal, right? Soon after he went in, three guys walked out of the bathroom laughing and carrying on. Ten minutes later, he still hadn't come out. So the mom flagged down a passer-by and asked him to go in and see if her son was ok. The guy came out and regretfully informed the woman that her son's mouth had been stuffed with toilet paper and his penis had been cut OFF! It could not be reattached and now there is talk of giving the poor boy a sex change to make him a girl.
I am dumbfounded! Are these words actually coming from me? Where in the hell is human conscience? Irony slaps you in the face seven days a week. How can this country be so profoundly beautiful, what with its rich oceans, vast open land, magnificent animals, and yet so effectively belie the daily misery experienced by almost all South Africans? It's a damn shame and I'm thoroughly appalled. I actually considered changing my plane ticket to get out early, but I cannot leave the country without surfing Jeffrey's Bay.
Wouldn't you like to believe that the government has your
best interest in mind? Perhaps in an imaginary Utopian society, but not in
Let's begin with Mandela. What words come to mind? Hero, visionary, born leader? He was incarcerated for treason. Years ago, he tried to organize the mass genocide of whites. He organized black servants to poison their white employers' breakfast. But the plan was discovered before the final act. Mandela was sent to jail and made a martyr.
I recently learned of Robert McBride. He was busted for blowing up a business in
I am not the same person I was before I came to
is safe. When it's time to leave, I approach the vehicle with the exact same trepidation.
Even going to the toilet is a mission. I empty my pockets and give the contents to whoever I'm with so I won't be robbed answering nature's calling. I will not use a urinal; I only use the stalls because I know I can lock the door behind me. When I exit, I look around to be sure there are no seedy characters waiting for me.
Here at the Freeman house, there are two big German
shepherds, one big gate, a security system, and we even have a locked gate to
the bedrooms to keep from being murdered in our sleep.
Well, that's about all I have to say for
Rest in peace Gavin. You are sadly missed.