We have laws to deal with zama zamas, but in reality SA runs on autopilot

By Kekeletso Nakeli

We keep hearing stories that the powers that be are actively involved in criminal activities that have gripped the country.

Some of us have dispelled the idea, drummed it down to conspiracy theories, but, lately, it seems to be a possibility. I mean, why else would there not be a crackdown on illegal mining.

Zama zamas have the country in a chokehold, every incident reported about their activities seems to be getting worse.

WATCH: ‘There was nothing police could do’- Riverlea resident details the night zama zamas came guns blazing

Are we really being led by people so corrupt that they are blind to the devastation of crime, or they are party to it, that the more our freedoms are suppressed their pockets are enriched?

Is this really where we are as a country?

You see, a few months ago I heard someone on the radio say what South Africa needed was to operate on the principle of not law and order but of order and law.

This has never left my mind. You see, how can you maintain the law if you have no order?

On paper, we may have laws, but in reality we have a country that runs on autopilot.

Perfect way to demonstrate this is the way in which the seats of power are filled by people who have to continuously prove their innocence in courts. And when murmurs of their corruption begin to gain traction, how does one ignore this?

South Africa needs laws that are not just in black and white, but are implemented, but also by people who are determined to implement them.

The law should remain unmoved and consistent, it should not be gender- or racially biased.

Once we realise this by conducting ourselves in an orderly fashion, we will be able to uphold the law, regardless of who the perpetrator may be.

You see, for reformed criminals to say “I did it because I had a choice to either go hungry or to hijack and kill”, is disturbing. How many people of integrity do actually go hungry?

And after violent acts, why is it easier to pay for the latest in fashion clothing and go clubbing than it is to pay for further education to enable an exit to crime.

It is because, inherently, order on a personal level, does not exist. How, then, will the law be maintained?