When ActionSA leader Herman Mashaba entered the room where a number of distraught family members were sitting, it was wailing of a mother that captured the depth of their personal grief.
Her partner was fatally stabbed, allegedly by her own son, who was subsequently arrested. In just a day, she lost both a husband and a child, one to death and another to prison. Mashaba, who had to strike an impeccable balance between speaking and holding space, emphasised the devastating nature of the case, and the pain the woman must be feeling. “This woman has lost a husband and a son at the same time. You can imagine that she has to live with this, and what it does in disrupting normal family life. I have every reason to be angry.”

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The suspect, like many young people in Alexandra, is alleged to be a substance user, which, according to some community members, makes him a victim as well.

The Community Policing Forum has long warned that substance use among youth is tied to rising criminal activity, with fights between learners sometimes escalating into stabbings. Mashaba said the tragedy is not unique, but symptomatic of a wider crisis. “We cannot live in these conditions. What really transpired with this family is nothing unique, over 60% of our young people are unemployed. So, they are really frustrated. At the same time, while they are unemployed, we allow them to get drugs.”

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His words highlighted the intersection of unemployment and substance abuse. With limited opportunities, residents say many young people turn to drugs, which in turn fuels violence and crime, and families are left to pick up the pieces.
During his term as a mayor, Mashaba established drug treatment facilities in the city, as well as the unit responsible for dealing with drug-related cases. While these facilities showed promise, the actual impact, in relation to the growing drug abuse problem, has been difficult to measure.

For Mashaba, the Alexandra stabbing is not just a crime story, but a political one. He insists that the criminal justice system must be freed from political capture, and that communities need the rule of law restored. “This is not an isolated case, and one day we will find a solution. If we could beat that evil system of apartheid, we are going to solve this problem.”

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