The brutal rape and   killing of seventeen year old  Anene Booysen in Bredasdorp  on Saturday 2 February evoked a national outcry. This terrible deed also achieved extensive coverage in the  international media. Then we saw all manner of politicians hastening to Bredasdorp to make public statements condemning this heinous crime. This was followed by a number of protest demonstrations, vigils and memorial meetings across  the country. All of this may seem strange since aggravated rape is certainly not at all uncommon in South Africa. The country has for a long time had the notoriety of being known as the rape centre of the world, outstripping even the worst other country for the number of rapes per annum by an enormous margin.  Following so shortly on the outcry of horror at the diabolical Marikana massacre and the brave and  unrelenting stand of the Lonmim mine workers,  then the Western Cape farm workers rebellion against slave wages, one is led to consider whether  this is yet another sign that the people of South Africa are reaching the end of their tether, having waited despairingly on the government to act decisively to improve the quality of life in the country.  In many cases it has become evident that in cases such as this latest horror, people are taking the law into their own hands, while we hear sanctimonious protests from an  ineffective police force that such  deeds  cannot be allowed.

Besides daily reports of rape there have been other incidents in the country such as the vicious killing of lesbians and the assault of young women wearing mini skirts. We have heard of complaints against the police for showing a distinct lack of interest in pursuing rape charges to the point of insulting the victims. We also saw the senseless disbandment of the Family Violence, Child Protection and Sexual Offences (FCS) units a few years ago. Recently reinstated, there is now a flurry of activity to make these units effective.

Many such crimes and others can be attributed to the widespread and growing dependence on drugs such as crystal methamphetamine or tik.  Yet the South African law enforcement system has a surprisingly lenient approach to drug dealing. A drug dealer is directly responsible for destroying countless lives, murder, prostitution, disease and  the perpetration of an enormous number of other  criminal acts by drug dependents in order to feed their sick habit. In this country the maximum sentence for a convicted drug dealer is 25 years imprisonment, but this sentence is seldom applied. We quote from a statement on the website of the Counselling Information Centre (www.blaauwberg.net) on drug addiction and crime:  “Supt Das Neves shares the opinion of many that legislation isn’t strict enough. According to him the legislation in Malaysia and Japan is very strict, and that is one of the reasons why they have such a low crime rate. It’s difficult to draw comparisons because every case must be judged on its own merits: a person in New York can be sentenced to 40 years in jail for possession of 1 kg cocaine. A member of SANAB Pretoria said a 20-year-old local was sentenced to 12 years for being in possession of 3 kg cocaine.” SANAB – The South African Narcotics  Bureau, was disbanded in 2004.

There is absolutely no excuse for law enforcement laxity and inefficiency in cases such as these. While the government may argue about limited funds and the need to balance the budget, people are becoming singularly unimpressed, while billions of rands of state funds slip through the cracks, feeding blatant corruption. It is yet another sign that it is part of a broader political question of government for the people or government for the politicians in charge.  Hence, it is a question of the necessity for full political consciousness being raised in the minds of the populace. Either we have a system that is attuned to the real and practical needs of the majority or we have a system that has become and remains one that is attuned to the privileges of a minority. It is time that left wing political forces  adopt a realistic and progressive role. Instead  of jumping in liberalistic horror and outrage from one incident to another there should be a concentration on advocating a precise, comprehensive political program for fundamental change.