As a country we are quick to call out our political leaders when certain issues make headlines, be it crime, corruption or excessive spending of taxpayers' money on travel, drinks and hotel bills.
And rightly so, but do we hold ourselves to the same level of accountability?
The deaths of innocents because local, provincial and national governments failed to act on bylaws and laws — from health and occupational safety to immigration — resulting in our food poisoning crisis bears testimony to this.
On the flip side, one could ask where was community oversight in this matter.
Where were the alarm bells when vendors of death set up shop and started trading expired, poisoned and contraband goods?
The challenges of inequality, poverty and unemployment provide a context for our social landscape and the economics of supply and demand and also provide a partial justification of the mushrooming of unregistered spaza shops in townships.
Where were the alarm bells when vendors of death set up shop and started trading expired, poisoned and contraband goods?
The convenience and savings in buying from these shops a few doors away when you find yourself in desperate times most likely overrule concerns about quality and compliance, but if we are to avoid a situation where our children are dying on our watch we need to be more aware, active and alert.
We need to insist these shops be registered to ensure we are not sold substandard goods and they are subject to regular inspections.
For some time we have slid into an abyss of lawlessness disregarding the rules of good governance meant to make our country a safe environment, and that is where criminal elements tend to breed and fester.
An initiative by Tidy Town Amanzimtoti who are calling the police on beggars and asking the community to report them to authorities is a controversial example of law meets active citizenry.
The clean up organisation say their aim is not to criminalise people experiencing hardship but to maintain public safety and order because of the link between beggars and criminal networks and drugs.
Their thinking is grounded in the principle that small actions can have a major impact — a belief echoed in the “broken windows” theory successfully implemented in New York City.
It uses the metaphor of broken windows to represent disorder in a community in that if it is left unrepaired it can lead to more vandalism and the appearance of an abandoned property. This disorder can then lead to social decline and more crime.
Tidy Town say addressing minor offences such as aggressive begging and public disorder helps prevent more serious crimes and creates a sense of safety and pride in the community.
In essence they say they are going back to the basic rules of law and this way they can make their town safer for residents afraid of going out and about, leading to a perception if locals don’t frequent the place what chance do tourists stand.
The organisation says the approach requires collective responsibility and some residents are embracing it to make meaningful change.
There are those who are opposed to the move on humane grounds — such as a motorist who verbally abused a metro police officer who tried to remove a beggar at an intersection in Amanzimtoti.
Not all beggars are linked to criminal activity. There are those who are genuinely down and out and throwing them into a cell is not the answer.
Dr Raymond Perrier, director of the Denis Hurley Centre, which helps homeless people, and convener of the National Homeless Network, said a recent crime blitz which removed about 100 homeless people from Durban's Albert Park was executed without a thought for the consequences.
“It is unfortunate that local government persists in thinking there are quick fixes to deep social problems. There are strategies that do work — providing well-run safe sleeping spaces, giving access to managed medical substitutes for drugs, tackling the drug dealers and not just the buyers — but these take time and patience, a vision and a co-ordinated strategy.”
The reality is our laws are sometimes out of sync with humanity and perhaps it is time for government to draft an anchor policy to guide municipalities in dealing with land invasions, beggars, illegal miners and the homeless.
A policy that encompasses humanness, compassion, social justice, collective unity, fairness, human dignity and respect, but one that does not to encourage lawlessness. There is a thin line between helping poor people scrambling for mineral deposits at a disused mine and planting the seeds for a marauding, killer gang with no respect for the law.
There are bylaws we need to enforce — to stop skipping red traffic lights, overloading vehicles, littering, urinating in public and so on, collective transgressions that can lead to a state of decay. Or being active citizens and reporting problems such as potholes and water leaks so we don't find ourselves in a crisis where almost half our municipal water is lost.
In this way we shoulder the responsibility of reducing the burden on everyone, including the state, and can chart a better life for us all.
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.