Don’t judge a book by its cover [LETTER]

EDITOR – I’m a young black male, the unfortunate archetype for the petty criminal in South Africa.
I’ve been aware of this since I was 12-years-old and am used to being regarded with a certain amount of caution and suspicion. Having lived in Toti for 19 years and suffered my fair share of crime, I can understand caution. Abuse, I cannot.

On the afternoon of 25 March, I decided to visit the old Life Church building where I’ve fellowshipped, and worked over some years. The building is no more than 400 metres from my house, and it’s not uncommon for me to drop by.
Alas, the property was closed and having scaled the perimeter to confirm, I resurfaced to find three residents of Bhengu Road waiting for me.

I was expected to justify my presence there, which was acceptable. What I didn’t find acceptable was being subject to – by any fair assessment – verbal assault. I was not physically harmed. But it’s no walk in the park being held up by your shirt by someone promising to “b@#$%m you.” Knowing that even though you could, it would be borderline suicidal to lift a finger to defend yourself.

We were shortly joined and left by other community members, some of whom were rather pleasant under the circumstances, and others whose behaviour was frankly appalling.

Despite offering multiple times to help them contact the property owners with whom I’ve enjoyed a relationship with over many years, they were determined that this was unnecessary, they would rather wait for security services. I decided to indulge them, hoping that when security arrived we could lay the matter to rest and allay any remaining doubt on their part.

We were then joined by ET who spared no time in treating me like a caught criminal. I found it thoroughly unacceptable that I be met with such hostility by armed men whose job it should be to deescalate and quickly get to the bottom of a matter instead of manhandling and making physical threats to someone seated peaceably and making no move to suggest flight, or aggression.

Having been threatened not to show my face anywhere around a church property I’ve been visiting for well over a decade now, I have this to say.

To the aforementioned community: I urge you to remember that despite past hurts, and high tempers in any given situation – your perspective is not all there is. Take the time to hear the next person. However unlikely it might seem, there’s always the chance that they’re innocent of ill-intent.

And I hope you never experience what it is to be regarded with utmost contempt by those around you, knowing you haven’t earned it.

To the ET officers: As per your instructions, I looked up Section 45 (and 49 as I’m sure you meant) of the criminal code. It does not allow you to treat people inhumanely. You can still do your job effectively without assuming someone’s guilty until proven innocent. The right to dignity is still held as a basic human right.

To Toti SAPS and indeed the South African government: It is the markings of a failed legal system when a community can feel justified through past hurt, in terrorising an innocent person for walking around his own neighborhood. I would urge you to fix the broken system of law enforcement before innocent people start killing each other out of fear.

Today, I hope the pen proves to be mighty.
PHUMELELA

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