Give people their dignity back

The images were horrifying: a man standing on the roof of his shack at an informal settlement outside Port Elizabeth, holding his one-year-old daughter by the ankle, threatening to throw her to the ground to stop the structure from being demolished.

Despite attempts by police officers to talk him out of it, he flung the child into the air. Fortunately, a quick-thinking cop managed to catch her before she hit the ground and she was unharmed … at least physically.

We are thankful that the child was not hurt. We are thankful to the police who tried to negotiate with the man and then for their actions in preventing harm coming to the girl.

It is at times like these – terrible though they are – when you are thankful for the officers in blue, who are there to protect all of us.

However, it is appalling that this could happen. And, while we rightly condemn the father and hope he gets his just desserts, we cannot help but wonder what level of desperation a person must reach to do such a thing to save their home.

That is why the gap between rich and poor must be closed and why people must be given back their dignity.

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