Two weeks ago my parents had their electric water pump stolen. Last week they had their car broken into and the battery stolen.
The people primarily targeted by criminals are the elderly, who have not [considered it necessary to fortify]their houses with high walls and electric fences, and the poor, who can't afford to.
Two weeks ago my parents had their electric water pump stolen. Last week they had their car broken into and the battery stolen.
The people primarily targeted by criminals are the elderly, who have not [considered it necessary to fortify]their houses with high walls and electric fences, and the poor, who can't afford to.
The problem with the definition "petty crime" is that it isn't petty. In some countries you can lose your hand, or your life, for stealing, but in South Africa theft is so commonplace that we laugh it off as "petty".
The truth is, it's a huge psychological blow when something is stolen. It leaves people feeling violated, insecure, helpless and angry.
Not only have they had their possessions removed, but some brazen and potentially dangerous criminal has entered their property to steal what they want – often vandalising it in the process.
The mental damage doesn’t stop there. Living in constant fear of crime, and having this classified as "petty", while not being able to do anything about it, can make a person suspicious, angry and bitter. Incessant worry affects the majority of South Africans. When we become suspicious of each other, reality fades to grey, communication fails, friendliness fades, and friendships that could have been made are lost forever.
Petty theft can undermine a whole country – not only regarding trust and relationships, but in causing a vast number of people to emigrate. These people take with them many good values and skills, to countries which do not need them half as badly as SA does.
Every theft is a violation of a human right. It is the eighth commandment in the Old Testament: “Thou shalt not steal”.
Every theft chips away at the human mind – and many minds are at the point at which they are unable to tolerate that chipping any longer. As a last resort they may take the law into their own hands and end up becoming criminals themselves.
It would be good if our government took each petty crime seriously in order to protect human rights and deter major crime. The brazen breed of criminals we have in South Africa need to be dealt with harshly. They embrace the belief that it is their right to steal from other people because they consider themselves to be underprivileged and are "suffering".
They feel dissatisfied, and have the unfortunate belief that they are owed something by society.
It is this very belief that leaders of various political movements spread – that if you are one of the impoverished South Africans you have a right to feel sorry for yourself and a right to demand compensation from the people who have something.
This belief is rooted in laziness – getting something for nothing.
In order to turn a man from crime you need to change his beliefs, and sitting in prison watching inane TV programmes will only confirm a criminal’s wrong beliefs about the world. Most TV is based on a utopian and idyllic lifestyle, full of fantasy and hedonism, and can only further a person’s road down the wrong mental path instead of uplifting them.
Instead of strengthening criminals’ wrong ideals whilst they lounge around in prison, we should aim at making prison a place which changes the way they think about life.
Having free board and lodging, along with free TV, does not give any criminal an inkling of how the real world operates.
Convicts should a) Be made to work for their food and accommodation (which we taxpayers are paying for); b) Be given uplifting reading material or specially chosen videos that promote moral ethics and public safety and provide practical information for work. Madiba became who he is partly because of his hard work and voracious reading of the correct reading material while he was in prison.
Put the criminals to work building dams and fixing up roads and railway tracks. If criminals are made to work for their living, they will begin to see a whole new side of life. They will learn new skills, they will be out in the fresh air doing something constructive, and their self-esteem will rise because they will be benefiting society. They will also keep fit and healthy. And once they are finished with their prison sentences, they will hopefully go back to their families as changed men and women, with changed attitudes, new skills, new values, and new self confidence – ready to start new lives.
