To say that South African people are gatvol of crime would be a complete understatement.
Across the country, there have been consistent increases in the amount of crimes reported on by police, community policing forums (CPF) and individuals over the last few years.
With these increases in crime rates, as measured in the Saps crime statistics report and CPF channels, there has also been an equally active effort by community members towards combating these criminal elements.
A recent incident that took place in Bluff, Durban, involving a lady, a criminal and a Toyota Tazz, has shone a light on how tired South Africans are of being attacked and oppressed by criminals that they now rejoice at more ancient methods of justice, which is pain.
On September 29, Sandy-Lee Ward was exiting the Bluff mall. As she pulled up to the exit booth, two criminals approached her car and opened the drivers door and grabbed her bag.
This was seen on CCTV footage and took place in full view of the police.
In another frame, the guy holding her bag can be seen running across the street before Ward chases him down and knocks him over and jumps over a grass embankment in her 90’s model Tazz.
But it has more to do with just administering pain, according to Doctor Thabane Khumalo, psychologist from the University of KwaZulu-Natal in Pietermaritzburg, it's about winning the war on crime.
The fact that the comments section of the internet rejoiced as they watched Ward almost kill a man who robbed her says a lot about where South Africans stand when it comes to crime, zero tolerance.
Khumalo said society’s reaction to the incident, which drew comments like “Give that lady a Bells and a 4x4”, is an indication of how ‘gatvol’ people are when it comes to crime.
Given the stature of Ward and her odds against two criminals “who were acting as predators”, it could be seen as a David versus Goliath type of event, Khumalo explained.
Only this time, David had a Tazz.
“In a crime riddled country where everyone has to pretty much build fences to secure themselves from crime, seeing justice live and in front of you, being served, that is going to set off emotions in people who feel as if they got one up against crime.
“From a national perspective, like as a country, we are gatvol with crime. We are at that point where we are no longer thinking about human life, that is secondary, because the criminals appear to be winning.
“To the public, it looked like this was the weaker one going to be robbed but she reversed the tables and went after them, like a David and Goliath story,” Khumalo said.
IOL