I am absolutely flabbergasted! Many people will agree when I say it takes a lot to leave me speechless but I must say today I’m dumb-struck! I have just been shown a website which even linking to it gives it life it doesn’t deserve but which I will add against my better judgement just so that people can see it to believe it. Crime Expo SA. There are many statements made on this site which are completely unsubstantiated (I will accept proof from a legitimate source) statistics based on what? It’s a very sad day indeed when some mindless, senseless individual(s) can make it their life goal to act against a country for some personal vendetta. Who is (are) this person (people) hiding behind a website? WHO CARES? My point is not to expose the mind, my point is to expose the fear and hatred the mindlessness is spreading. In order to have my view on this I needed to study all the angles but I’m struggling to understand the purpose of this thoughtless act. What gain does it serve? Save the world from the big bad South Africa? Help the people of South Africa? Or merely stand as a soap-box parade for a clearly disturbed individual(s)? I take pity on this person that has possibly been affected by an act of violence. This however does not give grounds for or condone this style of retaliation thus worsening the situation for everyone.
What kind of comments are these? (Quoted from the site)
- Leave your grandmother at home as she will be killed with a hammer.
- Leave your mobile phone at home as you could be killed for it.
- Keep away from combi-taxis as taxi operators shoot at each other.
They are almost as pathetic as a “statistic” I read in a men’s magazine when travelling in California 5 years ago: “The life expectancy of a tourist in South Africa is 11.5 minutes”. I don’t know what’s worse, the fact they publish this garbage misinformation or the fact that there are people gullible enough to read it! Good news doesn’t sell newspapers. You have just joined the alliance of the insanely naïve. “It must be true cos I read it on the internet”.
He is almost bragging that he has saved some tourists from a certain death. A large (gutless) tourist website in Sweden states that it has allegedly “made us think twice” about tours to South Africa based on half truths this person spreads. Do your own homework Sunseekers & congratulations big man you just perpetuated the vicious circle. Every 8 tourists into SA creates one job! Every job less creates one more homeless individual or perhaps even a homeless family. You are pushing people out onto the street to fend for themselves. “You are taking away their livelihood, and breeding more poverty, hate, resentment and crime“. Put yourself in that position briefly while you are looking down from your pulpit. How would you feed your children? How do you survive? In IR@Q there is scary truth: “What’s the difference between an honest hardworking individual and a suicide bomber? Answer – $5000”. Desperate times call for desperate measures. As much as I loath and despise crime, taking a step back from my reality and placing myself in theirs for a moment can bring a level of understanding. Try it. Survival is mankind’s fiercest instinct. You are, in an indirect way, creating the problem you lobby so strongly against.
Before it is said, I will agree, I don’t know you, I don’t know what you have been through, and I don’t understand your loss or your worries (I do hope this isn’t just some unprovoked tirade to hear your own voice). And yes I will agree that crime is a problem in South Africa but I also believe that it is a problem that everyone should tackle and not just point fingers and be judge, jury and executioner on the tourist industry and people of South Africa. What I can ask though is why don’t you focus your energy on becoming part of the solution and quit being part of the problem? Spread the word through South Africa. Make it known how you feel in a way that has a positive outcome. Your hatred for the most beautiful country on earth is only going to create unnecessary fear and assist in tearing it apart! There is still a huge % of the world’s population that doesn’t even know where South Africa is. The World Cup 2010 will change that and make SA a proud nation once more (remember the Rugby World Cup ’95 and Cricket World Cup ’03). However, if you have your way, it will stay the feared unknown and that will seal our fate. Be a bigger and better person than that and stop being such a one sided bigot. Open your comment section to ALL views, not just the right wing extremists who support your blinkered opinion.
I tip my hat to Addy from Cape Town who has had an unbelievable response in support of his blog. PLEASE support him and everyone else that still believes. Have your say. We need more people like that to spread an unbiased view on life in SA! Kudos to you bud! Keep the ball rolling! Stay in touch!
K.T. – “No one is by any means saying that we are perfect. We are a country in a process. We have the most advanced bill of rights and have conjured up inspirational ways to heal, like the truth and reconciliation council, which is such an advanced way of thinking that even other countries like IR@Q are following suite”.
Looking at this with a brighter persepctive, perhaps South Africa should be thanking you. Thanking you for stirring up dormant emotions in people that do actually have faith in their country and who are prepared to speak up against people or organisations like yourselves.
EADGBE.
