It’s rough here in Satan Africa and raising children is a nightmare

You can say it over and over again: it’s rough here in Satan Africa and raising children is a nightmare. I found myself muttering these words as the number of children who become victims of violent crimes continues to grow.

I don’t blame the mother of four-year-old Bokgabo Poo, whose mutilated body was discovered in Wattville, Benoni, last Saturday, for saying she would like to see the death penalty come back for her daughter’s alleged killer.

Since she does not have confidence in the justice system, she prayed that the court would dismiss the case so that the community can deal with the alleged killer. Her frustrations stem from the fact that the suspect has a pending case of allegedly raping a nine-year-old girl. God knows what happened to Bokgabo before she was gruesomely murdered.

ALSO READ: Bokgabo Poo: ‘Her eyes were not there,’ says mom

Judging by the rising crime rates, to call for a death penalty seems like an obvious thing to do. But this will be a tall order. Even if the death penalty can be restored – because the punishment seems morally justified when someone commits murder – police still need to arrest the perpetrators and prepare strong cases before courts for successful prosecution and conviction.

At present, our poorly trained police officers have too much on their plate. The discovery of Bokgabo’s mutilated body in Wattville, Benoni, which came days after six women were found dead in a panel-beating building in Selby, Johannesburg, all add up to their massive caseload.

All this shows the level of violent crime is out of control. Just to paint a picture of how bad the situation is: from April to June this year, 855 women and 243 children were killed in the country. There were over 11 000 assault and grievous bodily harm cases, with female victims, opened with the police. About 1 670 such cases involved children. Police are investigating attempted murder dockets for over 1 400 women and children.

That’s why I was left more despondent and angry when my son’s former schoolmate Duma Dwane became a crime statistic. Unlike Bokgabo and the six women, Duma didn’t make the headlines when he was murdered in Cape Town on 2 October at age 20. He was killed for his cellphone and wallet.

I am angry because these thugs could have just robbed him and not hit him with a sharp object behind his head which led him to bleed to his death. Duma had a promising future. He was doing his second year towards a B.Com degree at the University of Cape Town. His intellectual capacity was evident from an early age. He attained distinctions in maths and science. This achievement was rewarded with a scholarship to study at Pretoria Star College where he attended with my son.

Duma was a talented sportsman, participating in basketball. He was also a keen runner, and was the youngest member of the Zithande Athletics Club in Pretoria. He also enjoyed recreational canoeing with his father at Tukkies and Roodeplaat Dam. While in Cape Town he spent much time on hiking trails and climbs with his brother Mesuli.

Unlike my son who opted to further his studies in Pretoria, Duma was excited to go study in Cape Town – and not at the University of Pretoria where he had also been accepted. Little did his parents know that by sending their son to Cape Town he was not going to return home with the expected qualification but in a coffin.

ALSO READ: WATCH: Chaos erupts as father of murdered Bokgabo Poo jumps dock to attack suspect

I cannot imagine the pain of Duma’s dad when he went to Cape Town to fetch his son’s body. It must have been a long journey of pain and regret. At his funeral, Duma’s dad was heartbroken. He blamed himself for allowing his son to go to study in Cape Town.

I guess any parent would be tempted to call for a death penalty after losing a child at the hands of monsters or will want to take the law into their own hands like Bokgabo’s father tried to do when he saw his daughter’s suspected killer in court.

Duma could have been one of the top accountants in the country, but thugs wanted his cellphone and wallet. At least Bokgabo’s parents might find closure in knowing who allegedly killed their daughter. Maybe the alleged killer will show remorse and confess what really happened to Bokgabo; and hopefully justice will be served.

Duma’s parents don’t know who killed their son and they may not find closure because justice will not be served for them.