Archive for the ‘crime’ Category
Tuesday, April 6th, 2010 |
When I heard of Eugene Terre Blanche’s murder on Sunday morning on Capetalk, my first reaction was: “Oh no! The media will be milking this story for all it’s worth!”.
Before you could even say the word ‘boer’, Julius Malema was blamed for inciting people to kill the farmer, presumably meaning Terre’blanche.
What a load of rubbish.
By even linking Malema to Terre’blanche’s murder is again giving that man a lot more power than he has and more publicity than he deserves.
And lo and behold it’s been almost ridiculous the way especially e-tv (I don’t watch SABC News) have nearly blanketed their news coverage with the murder story, making it into a politically motivated crime.
All sorts of talking heads have been weighing in on their opinion. The impact on the Soccer World Cup was dissected in all it’s glory and images of Eugene Terre’blanche prancing around on a horse was broadcast for all to see.
Never mind the fact that Terre’blance was imprisoned for nearly three years for nearly beating one his farm workers to death. To be fair, e-tv news interviewed the man (who seems brain damaged) and his family.
However, Terre’blance was known to have treated his workers badly. And news from the farm was that Terre’blanche wouldn’t pay his workers so they could go home over the Easter Weekend.
Next thing you know, people dressed in khaki were interviewed all over the show, vowing to avenge his death. Who did they want to take their revenge on?
The two men who killed their ‘leader’?
Or all workers who didn’t get paid over the Easter Weekend?
The fact that the murder happened on a slow news weekend probably gave it a lot more news coverage than it merited.
I wish the news coverage focused on the true nature of the crime i.e. a farmer mistreating workers, inadequately implemented labour laws for farm workers, lawless youth, the terrible crime situation in our country, etc. and not made it into a political situation.
Posted in crime, media | 6 Comments »
Monday, October 19th, 2009 |
Where does Prof Jonathan Jansen get off giving a general pardon to those four University of Free State students – known as the Reitz Four?
Was he or family the ones being humiliated – on video???!!
This has absolutely nothing to do with racism.
Luckily the university cannot stop the pending court case though.
Just like most criminal acts in this country it’s about humiliation and taking away people’s human dignity.
Can we really blame this one on apartheid?
Just like those hijackers and house robbers who go in with the intention to not only take people’s stuff, but also stripping their victims of their lives or every bit of dignity (if they’re lucky), while they’re at it.
Should we forgive those people too?
Should we blame the circumstances they grew up under? Should we feel sorry that most of them probably never knew their fathers, likely had to go work instead of finishing their schooling.
Should we sympathise with them that they were probably beaten to an inch of their lives by their caregivers and grew up in 1 room shacks with 10 other people?
ABSOLUTELY NOT!
We make our choices, regardless of our backgrounds. This wasn’t some university initiation prank with consenting fellow students.
As far as I know their victims have not forgiven them, so who does Prof Jansen think he is – using this as an another example of reconciliation? To hell with reconciliation!
Shouldn’t we just open the prison doors and let all criminals out?
Whether their act of video taping horrendous acts against fellow human beings was racially motivated or not is besides the point.
How would you like that sort of thing done to your mother, sister or family member – for whatever reason?
Just as we got angry at the lengths hijackers and other criminals go through to humiliate their victims, so we should be angry at these men for what they did to those women.
At the very least these men should be tried in a criminal court for a criminal act and they should pay for what they did by doing community service or something similar.
Posted in crime, society | 1 Comment »
Wednesday, August 26th, 2009 |
For the second time in a few weeks a robbery has taken place at a jewellery store in Kenilworth Centre – a worrying new development as it hits very close to home. (My home is a few hundred metres away from KC!)
And I, as well as people close to me frequent KC on a regular – almost daily – basis.
The same as last time, the robbers entered the store as prospective buyers and then held up the shop assistants.
This time they escaped with a hired car!
Whether they hired the car (highly unlikely!) or stole it has not yet been established.
The location and layout of Kenilworth Centre makes it hard to imagine how robbers manage to escape so easily. The area usually has a large amount of slow moving traffic and there’s a set of traffic lights that takes forever to turn green.
What more, the place is usually teeming with security guards.
Not that security would phase would-be robbers. They world likely just shoot wildly at shoppers if cornered by security.
With summer holidays approaching, we can only hope police and Kenilworth Centre finds a way to manage this shocking new trend.
Posted in crime | No Comments »
Friday, June 12th, 2009 |
So earlier this week the story broke in Noseweek about a get rich scheme that promised to yield profits of 20% every 12 weeks.
That’s 80% profit in a year.
Tell me again, how did these people actually get rich in the first place? Trust fund anyone?
How in the world can someone earn 80% profit without there being some sort of skelm thing going on?
Someone’s got to be losing something somewhere for another person to earn 80% profit.
Here’s the kicker Barry Tannenbaum the originator of the scheme, is the son of the founder of Adcock Ingram. The scheme was supposedly intending to make money off the importation of raw materials to manufacture drugs like Antiretrovirals!
These people actually wanted to profit off vulnerable, ill people in our country.
Some of them lost up to R50million! Oh and no one feels sorry for that lot!
They got what they deserved!
But seriously, who in their right mind would give their millions to someone offering them 80% interest a year?? I wouldn’t even give my hundreds away to someone offering me those sorts of odds.
This is doubtlessly a case of too much money, too little brains.
Posted in crime | No Comments »
Monday, June 1st, 2009 |
Sunday night saw a robbery take place at Vangate Mall in Athlone.
Turns out that two men pretending to be shoppers entered Ackerman’s at just on closing time and held up staff.
They bundled the shop’s 5 staff members into an office and raided the store of cash.
Staff alerted security and police arrived.
They treated the scene like a hostage situation since they were not aware that the robbers had already left the building.
After two and a half hours they eventually went in and freed the staff members.
Police are investigating and will view video images of taken in the mall.
These days malls are huge targets for robbers, especially at night.
Not too long ago Canal Walk also had a robbery where thieves pretended to be las minute shoppers.
Posted in crime | No Comments »
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