The art of taking a life

I saw a post on Mail & Guardian’s investigative unit last Friday about two cable thieves being beaten in front of security guards [https://mg.co.za/article/2014-03-06-00-video-cable-thieves-brutally-assaulted-by-guards].

While violence of any nature cannot be condoned, I do believe many South Africans felt a hint of satisfaction after reading the story.

Events such as this one place the reader in a difficult situation; was it right for them to get beaten up or should they have been taken directly to police?

Mob justice in small communities often is frowned upon, mainly because it is hard to prove who the actual offenders are and what offence they have committed. In some SADC countries, people suspected of witchcraft get stoned to death or are burned alive. This sparks another emotion as it can mean that anyone acting outside the norm may be killed.

So, violent public prosecution is not morally sound.

This brings us to a situation where somebody, as with the case above, gets caught red-handed committing a crime.

Even in this case, there is no valid reason for taking their lives, but I must be honest, if I catch somebody stealing my car for the third time, I will react and resort to some form of violence. I’m sure that anyone who has been affected by crime will. So was it right to beat up these suspects? I’m not sure whether any of us can decide. One thing is for certain though; violence in this case is understandable. What do you think? Leave your comment below.