Thieves’ actions should be considered terrorism

It is sadly ironic that, on the eve of Freedom Day, we should get a strong indication that South Africa has started down the road to a failed state.

Only in a country where there is scant regard for law and order; where the police doesn’t function and where  everybody is out to get as much as they can, as quickly as they can; would you see an armed gang attacking a  hospital to steal copper cable.

That happened this week in the North West province – for the second time in as many weeks. That such criminals do this without a thought to the lives they jeopardise by threatening power supply to wards and life-saving  machines, speaks volumes about how far our country has fallen on the scale of civilised behaviour.

It seems to be open season – on anything which can be stolen. Our infrastructure is being dismantled before our very eyes and yet our government is doing very little about it.

This is a national crisis – a national catastrophe, in reality. To replace the looted and vandalised infrastructure will take hundreds of billions of rand – money the country doesn’t have.

Is it not time that these crimes were declared terrorist acts?