The festive season could be a fun time if we are aware, at all times, of the consequences of our actions.
This time of the year can be very tricky and emotionally painful for people.
It is suppose to be a fantastic festive time with friends and family – a time when you are happy, host and attend get-togethers and simply have fun.
However, this must always be done in an responsible manner.
There is a lot of hype, expectations and pressure to be “happy and have fun”, but I am concerned about the safety of my brothers and sisters out there during this period of the year.
When I moved around our “Mambisa” this weekend, I noticed the pressure placed on some to “be happy and have fun”.
I stand amazed at seeing young women carrying bottles of alcohol in the street, dancing to the music, making a noise into the early hours of the morning.
I noticed this on my way to work, emphasising the longs hours of partying from night to the early hours of the next day.
It was clear that these young women were there partying the whole night.
I suddenly became extremely worried and concerned for their safety, as they could easily get raped, kidnapped or even worse, killed.
Eish, who am I to judge them? I know, if confronted, they will say – “this is a fun and festive time of the year”.
But then again, as a Tembisan journalist, these are the type of women I write articles about on a weekly basis when we inform our readers about rapes, kidnappings and murder.
Young women – I do not want to write about your rape next week.
You forget that you are responsible for your own safety.
I am not a party animal and I am not against youngsters having fun, but if we could all act responsibly in taking a good care of our own safety, it is much better than regretting the outcome at a later stage.
While I was still having an inner debate about the safety of these young Tembisa women, I was thought about how alcohol plays such a large role in in car crashes, road deaths, road rage and violent arguments.
It is rare to find sober drivers on our kasi roads this time of the year.
It so happened on the same weekend that I witnessed a bumper bashing, luckily just that, and was shocked to realise the driver at fault was drunk, arrogant and did not bother to apologise.
I once asked myself – is alcohol a problem or are drunk people the problem?
What most of our general public do not know is that criminals often gain the necessary bravery to rob us of our belongings only when they are drunk, and in some cases, high on drugs.
Thus we share a common behaviour practice with these criminals – consuming alcohol excessively.
So – do not forget that criminals are out there, eyes wide open, waiting for you to slip up during your drunken state, so that they can pounce on you and take off with your valuable items while you are “happy and having fun”.
Your happiness will not last long into the New Year.
This one is even worse; I was sitting next to this guy in a local taxi on the back seat.
He was drunk and suddenly a bunch of “clippers” fell out of his pocket.
I felt obliged to speak to this man about his irresponsible behaviour.
He said he had been robbed the previous night and upon learning that, cut the conversation short.
Despite being robbed a few hours ago he still carried a large amount of cash in a drunken state on public transport, where he can be easily targeted. I could see he hadn’t learnt his lesson.
Again – you are responsible for your own safety.
I simply cannot accept this is how some people prefer to enjoy the festive season as the consequences last far longer than the few hours of “fun”.
My plea to you brothers and sisters – take care of yourselves this festive season, your bonuses and enjoy a responsible and merry Christmas.
