Download PDFIn a small town called Bathurst, in the Eastern Cape under Ndlambe Municipality, the residents are tired of the increasing crime rate. They claim the police are not doing enough to decrease the rate of crime that is shockingly very high.
“These children are not interested in school and education, but their interest is making money in a very easy way that involves crime and hurting the community,” says Nolindile Goerge, a community leader from the Community Police Forum.
In the past two years, it is believed the crime rate has increased by more than 80%. It is said that from January in 2022, there has been a problem of missing electricity c ables and water pipes, and the police have made no arrests to date.
On Sunday, 13 August 2023, the community held a meeting trying to find a solution and try protect victims of sexual assault, robberies and break-ins that have been happening recently .
Community forums such as the Isikhalo Movement, the Community Police Forum and other street forum committees came up with a solution that mob justice might be the only solution to the increasing crime rate.
Monki Nobebe, a front leader of the Street Committee, said their community signal to gather is the noise of a whistle blowing telling them to gather to beat crime out of these children.
In the past three months the community has been practicing this form of “justice” to ensure the safety of our community, and I will admit that it has worked as there are close to no cases of electricity cable theft since. Moreover, I can strongly say that mob justice has been the best decision the community has made considering how it has worked, so much so it’s considered a solution that will be long term.
“It’s sad that you see young children between the ages of 15 to 17 years old being victims of mob justice because of crime caused by the usage of drugs,” said Isikhalo Women’s Movement’s Sihosethu Ndabeni. Going on to add, “But we can never make them stop taking these drugs, and mob justice either makes them stop or kills them- That is the saddest part.”
Crime has not only increased only in the community but also in schools where these drugs are used during break times. All the while, the teachers are playing their role in teaching and safe-guarding the students.
The Bathurst community believes that the justice system is not doing enough in the fight against crime and mob justice is a fair way to discipline the youth. More so as it has been practiced even in the olden days before crime became a norm in our communities. The community says the community will be the safest place in no time.
This article was submitted on 14 August 2023. You may republish this article, so long as you credit the authors and Karibu! Online (www.Karibu.org.za), and do not change the text. Please include a link back to the original article.
