My Take: I’ve got your back!
A little more understanding is probably what's needed.
HO, ho, ho… ’tis the season to be jolly.
But for many it is also a prime time of year to do some illegal ‘shopping’.
In many cases it’s merely petty stuff like the ‘have-nots’ targeting the ‘haves’, maybe to finance some festive cheer for them and their own loved ones who have hit hard times.
Magistrates often ask the petty thieves who come before them: ‘Why did you do it?’
The most common answer is: ‘Because I was hungry.’
It’s not right, of course, but it’s a reality. Many people are forced to steal to survive.
What would you do if the roles were reversed?
The past government created this vast chasm between rich and poor, but the current government must certainly take much of the blame for exacerbating this inequality with their own greed and incompetence.
One might ask, what can we – the ‘haves’ and ‘sort-of-haves’ – do to help solve the situation?
Perhaps a little more understanding and Christmas charity to the poor people one comes across in the street will help, even if it’s just to satisfy one’s own conscience.
Have some compassion for a fellow man who is suffering at a time when the rest of us are set to party.
As for the petty crime, unfortunately it is – and will be for a very long time – as much a reality as death and taxes all over the country.
The Hibiscus Coast is no better off or worse than anywhere else in South Africa.
No doubt the security services – private and public – will be out in full force and will do their best to keep us all safe.
But the most effective safeguard is for honest people to stand together and guard each others’ backs (and belongings) while enjoying our fine beaches.
