Nelson Mandela observed that: “There can be no keener revelation of a society’s soul than the way in which it treats its children”. In that regard, SA scores lowly — yet it doesn’t have to be this way. Revisit the heinous crime committed against Junior Mabandla.
Junior, a six-year-old boy from Pienaar, near Mpumalanga’s provincial capital Mbombela, went missing on June 3 2024 after leaving home to buy sweets with friends. He never returned.
I was in Shanghai, China, when news broke that Junior’s remains had been found a month after he went missing. What shocked me most was that his remains were found in a shopping bag, along with his clothes, buried in someone else’s grave.
Junior was finally laid to rest after being brutally killed by what I call SA’s “real free men” — the criminals who roam our streets. An 18-year-old suspect was arrested in connection with the case, but how many of us remember this crime today?
The country’s attention, however, shifted to the next wave of violence — extortionists and gangs terrorising citizens.
Just last week, the close-knit community of Kraaifontein in Cape Town was devastated by the murder of a 64-year-old grandmother, Lindi Sehlabela. She was shot in the head after refusing to pay protection money to a ruthless gang.
The killers of Junior and Lindi will live relatively comfortable lives in prison because we believe in rehabilitating “monsters”.
It feels like with each passing day, SA is becoming less safe.
On Tuesday, police minister Senzo Mchunu declared in his parliamentary presentation, “We are rejecting crime and criminals in SA.”
The police minister’s declaration needs to be backed by concrete action, otherwise the rhetoric will remain cold comfort for those affected by violent crime.
I believe SA can learn from China, which has a population exceeding 1.4-billion, which relies on widespread surveillance to tackle crime. In China, a suspect can be tracked using tech and located within 20 minutes of committing a crime.
Perhaps it’s time for South Africans to prioritise safety over privacy.
During my time in Shanghai, I was struck by how safe the city felt, thanks to its extensive surveillance network. I saw young children — of Junior’s age — riding bikes to the shops before sunset without fear.
That, to me, is true freedom — a stark contrast to SA, where privacy concerns often outweigh the need for security. Critics argue that widespread surveillance violates international privacy standards, which limit the collection and use of biometric data to those involved in wrongdoing.
But as a South African sickened by our country’s high crime rate, I believe we need a different approach. One such approach is that SA can benefit from widespread surveillance systems.
I hope Gauteng premier Panyaza Lesufi follows through on his plan to roll out surveillance cameras across the province. Gauteng’s partnership with Vumacam could help fight crime more effectively with criminals being swiftly tracked and apprehended.
Furthermore, Mchunu must deploy more police to hotspots.
Last weekend, as I attended the Springboks and New Zealand game at Ellis Park Stadium in Johannesburg, I realised that it was possible to create safe zones in our cities and the rest of the country. We did it during the Fifa World Cup, and we can do it again.
The question is, what’s stopping us from using similar tactics to reduce crime?
The police must be empowered to monitor us through surveillance, just as they do in Shanghai. Personally, I wouldn’t mind if the city of Johannesburg invaded my privacy, if it meant I felt as safe as I did in China.
Right now, in SA, we are prisoners of our so-called privacy rights, while criminals and killers enjoy true freedom.
To effectively combat crime, we need to equip our police force — including metro police and AmaPanyaza — with body cameras to expose rogue officers. We need to use drones to track and apprehend criminals. Tech is advancing, and so are criminals.
The SA Police Service needs to recruit tech specialists and develop skills to use modern crime-fighting methods that include camera surveillance and data intelligence. This could be used to strengthen police intelligence and for profiling criminals accordingly.
That said, we can’t continue pretending that SA is a normal society. That is why a hardline stance, much like the approach taken by KwaZulu-Natal police commissioner Lt-Gen Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi, would resonate with South Africans to help tackle violent crime.
“We’re at war,” Mkhwanazi asserted when giving details regarding the fatal shooting of six wanted murder suspects in Durban. The gang was wanted for the murder of four youths.
I agree. If you disagree, just wait until these “monsters” invade your home.
As Mchunu emphasised on Tuesday, “We must not trivialise this issue. Let’s stand together. Don’t speak as if you tolerate crime, because you could be the next victim.”
• Lourie is founder and editor of TechFinancials.
Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.