South Africans have lost their humanity

As if stage 6 load shedding, the cold weather and confirmed cases of monkeypox were not enough, it feels as though we are on another level of Jumanji – Mzansi style.

Every toss of the dice in recent times presented a new scandal, drama or state of emergency.

Mind you, to be realistic, when was the last time it went well in South Africa and when will it be great again?

If the increasing petrol price wasn’t slowing us down, Eskom kept us in the dark.

While the inflation rate ensured that we scraped by with the essentials, the continuous ripple effects of the crumbling economy were catching up fast.

ALSO READ: Hunger, malnutrition in SA on the rise as food prices go through the roof

The future wasn’t looking bright with more load shedding, petrol increases and now possible school fee increases eating away at the average Joe’s no-existent budget.

There was nothing to look forward to anymore.

The pandemic has come and gone, and so have the masks but not the corruption nor load shedding.

Besides the fuel, electricity, service delivery, inflation and debt weighing down the country, there was an even bigger and heavier burden pulling us down.

South Africans have lost their humanity.

When 21 teenagers died in a tavern in the early hours of the morning in the Eastern Cape, many played the blame game.

“How, when and who was responsible?” they shouted. “It’s the liquor board, it’s the police, it’s the tavern owner, it’s the parents, it’s this and it’s that.”

Similar rang the tune of the Groblersdal, Mpumalanga, assault case where an adult man assaulted a teenager.

“What did the child do to provoke the adult man?” they shouted.

Suddenly a witness claimed the teenager was drunk.

Again with the accusations and again we play the blame game. We should, instead, be asking why an adult man assaulted a teenager.

READ: Enyobeni tragedy: Tavern owner to face criminal charges – ECLB

Another case which made headlines was the GBV case of Jaco Swart who got a slap on the wrist and an R20,000 fine for beating up his ex-wife.

I ask: What has happened to humanity and can a reasonable person please stand up?

Quickly, the liberal Afrikaans keyboard warriors shouted: Did Minister Bheki Cele cry for the farm murder victims?

They also criticised the court for denying bail to the man who assaulted the teenager.

I wonder what they would say if the roles were reversed and a black man assaulted a white teenager?

Would they have the same reaction to the bail and would they not call for justice?

What if 21 teenagers died in a Sandton club or Randfontein tavern, would they still post hateful comments? We were the problem.

Instead of actively trying to build on the Rainbow Nation, we are still divided nearly 30 years after apartheid.

ALSO READ: Enyobeni: Carbon monoxide poisoning likely cause of teens’ deaths – report

When children were hurt, assaulted, and killed insensitive keyboard warriors still made borderline racist comments on social media instead of playing their respective, responsible, and reasonable parts in society.

Where was the reasonable adult at the Enyobeni Tavern that fateful night when 21 teenagers dropped dead?

And where was the reasonable adult during the Groblersdal attack on the teenager?

The Thesaurus has over 100 synonyms for the word reasonable, including: responsible, rational, open to reason, common sense, logical, fair, wise, level-headed, practical, realistic and sound.

Can one reasonable person please stand up and take responsibility.