Pity the cops couldn’t show Tshwane’s ‘cabbage bandit’ some humanity

It is illegal, in terms of at least two regulations, to interfere with council property.

The verge is council property. And a clearly irate senior cop decided to make an example of Nkuna and fine him R1,500 because he refused to remove the vegetables.

This as many other homeowners have put plants on their verges – and despite far more egregious violations of city law occurring every hour.

There’s a sort of logic in the bylaws: if Nkuna is allowed to plant cabbages, will someone else decide that planting mielies is fine, even though the plants might obscure the view of traffic and cause potential danger to motorists and pedestrians?

However, why this incident is so galling is that Nkuna’s vegetables were not grown for monetary reward: his wife donates food to poor people in Soshanguve and this would have saved her money.

There are many others who have similar roadside gardens, around the country, to provide at least some nourishing food to homeless people.

It is a pity the cops couldn’t show some humanity and a bit of perspective.