Retail staff must know their limits

When shop owners met out justice on suspects which may lead to a loss of life, one must admit that there is a thin line between the law and those that feel that they are at liberty to dispense the law.

Management and security personnel at shops have taken their powers too far, a life lost too often. As a country, it is easy believe that there is no longer any faith in the justice system.

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That a child molester can be granted bail of just R2 000. That a murderer, who butchers cash-in-transit security personnel, can be granted bail and considered a community leader.

That a 24 and 26 year old can brazenly kill security guards, who are in the very area to serve and protect – that in itself is a sign that we are living in terms of a vacuum of law and order.

The public cannot be blamed for being left with no faith in the men and women in blue and the courts that follow – Lady Justice in South Africa has lost all visibility.

We are a nation under siege. But there are those officers who go over and above the call of duty and some who even lose their lives off duty.

There are also lawyers, judges and magistrates who endear their calling and cannot be bought. We must honestly admit that those very two important facets of public order are littered with rotten apples who spoil a bag in its entirety.

Two security guards lose their lives, a squad of policemen go toeto-toe with murderers, possibly even civilians risk their lives in alerting the police of the suspects’ whereabouts.

ALSO READ: UPDATE: Man dies after being locked in cold room for stealing chocolate

After all the risk, all the danger, imagine if they were apprehended and not killed, only for pockets to be lined and within the month they roam the streets and the security of people is threatened again.

It begs the question: how and when did it become so commonplace that children so young could be so careless about the value of human life?

A life is lost; taken in a cruel and unbearable way over a chocolate bar and while there is no condoning of crime, to take it up a notch and murder a man is far more deplorable.

Yet, sadly, this is the nature of shopkeeping in townships; where security guards and shop management are a law unto themselves.

Let this death be the line in the sand that reminds retail staff that they have no recourse to discipline culprits, but to sound the alarm for law-abiding assistance.