It’s time to protect victims

Murder is the unlawful premeditated killing of one human being by another. And when found guilty, the punishment in SA is life imprisonment that may last for the remainder of the offender’s life.

It’s a harsh sentence in anybody’s book and surely should act as a deterrent. Wrong. It has been proved beyond doubt a dismal failure.

There’s no denying our nation has become a killing field. Has this reality taken root in the community at large? I don’t think, I know, murder has become common in every sector – homes, offices, schools, pubs, churches and on the streets.

Bullets, knives, hatchets and poison are the tools used to commit wanton executions. Bodies are chopped up or burned, placed in car boots – even refrigerated. Boyfriends decapitate their girlfriends. Parents are bludgeoned to death by their children. Gang wars leave innocent bodies in their wake. Daily random shootings in public places are a given.

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It’s as if murder has been demystified; accepted as just another crime. It’s as if we’ve been mesmerised by an unseen evil magician found in Batman-like comics.

Even Minister Cele has succumbed to the spell. No matter what plans he comes up with, the slaughtering continues.

Surely it’s time we open our eyes to the fact that the present laws are not cutting it. These scumbags sit in court, smilingly acknowledging their supporters in the benches, knowing full well that unlike their victims they snuffed out – and the terrible suffering of the victim’s families –they’ll live another day, with the likelihood of early parole.

Call this a deterrent? The ongoing killings tell us otherwise. Human rights? What human rights for the affected families? None whatever. They’ll remain in hell forever. Rehabilitation? Let’s see statistics showing the percentage of murderers being turned permanently.

To come out of the hypnotic state we need shock treatment. Like a call for a referendum with the fearsome words: Death penalty – yes or no? Opposition political parties should grab the nettle and run with a campaign to test the water.

Either way, the result would prove a shock to the system. A wake-up call is what’s needed to find a solution.