The victims of the Lusikisiki mass shooting were finally laid to rest at the weekend.
Politicians, police generals, church formations, community structures, bereaved family members and traditional leaders have said a lot since that eventful night when the 18 were killed on September 28.
What is clear from all the messages is our collective anger at criminal activities.
Family representatives described their Ngobozana village as a jungle and a war zone.
They said all they were asking for from the government was protection.
It is an indictment that citizens have to plead for such in a democratic dispensation.
What is mind-boggling about Lusikisiki is that the criminals’ reign of terror is well documented.
Agriculture deputy minister Nokuzola Capa and legislature deputy chief whip Kholiswa Fihlani attested to that during their speeches at the memorial of the 18 last week.
They added that previously strategies had been put in place to fight criminality in Lusikisiki, including dealing with amavondo [gangsters rumoured to drink human blood].
Clearly, the plans have not put a dent in crime.
Addressing the same gathering, premier Oscar Mabuyane said “enough is enough now” and told police minister Senzo Mchunu that the killers should be found and it did not matter whether they were found dead or alive.
Ordinarily, you would expect such strong words from the first citizen of the province to strike fear among criminal syndicates.
Conversely and as if to say we dare you, two days after the memorial, criminals struck again, this time killing six community police forum members and wounding others in Qumbu.
It cannot be business as usual when people are being killed with weapons meant for the military.
Criminals are indeed in charge and it will be disingenuous for us to bury our heads in the sand and pretend they are not.
If so many of us are against crime, why then as a country are we failing to win the war on crime?
Mabuyane bemoaned the failure of our correctional services after a parolee was arrested in connection with the Lusikisiki mass killing.
While such statements are good, they do nothing to stop crime.
The ball is squarely in the lawmakers’ and law enforcers’ court.
If our laws are not strong enough to tackle these kinds of crime, are we powerless to amend them? Why does it seem to be so difficult to allocate enough resources to adequately deal with these criminals?
It cannot be business as usual when people are being killed with weapons meant for the military.
Drastic actions are urgently needed to tackle criminals if we are all going to feel protected and safe in this province again.
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