The people on the Cape Flats are suffering on a daily basis. They are burying their loved ones in unheard of numbers. The cause of the deaths and untold suffering is, of course, the violence perpetuated by the gangs on the Flats. My heart goes out to my people.
However, my heart has been going out to my people getting slaughtered for the past 50 years. There’s an often-used expression that doing the same thing over and over while expecting a different result is the height of stupidity. We have reached that stage on the Flats.
Protest action, talks with gangs, the army, increased police visibility, etc - it’s all been done. Yet the violence continues, year in and year out. We continue to bury our people - young and old, gangsters and the innocent.
A radical problem requires a radical solution.
Instead of continuing with failed interventions, let’s try something different, something bold.
Let’s lobby for the legalisation of drugs. Not the decriminalisation but legalisation. The drug industry is what underpins the gangster economy. It is the revenue from illegal drug sales that allows them to recruit, corrupt and sustain their gangster economy. Take that away from them and their financial bottom will immediately fall by the wayside. No money, no ability to sustain their gang. No gangs, no violence.
We can go into the negative consequences of legalising drugs, but surely the positive of eradicating or limiting the impact of gangs outweighs any negative.
We can “shutdown” Cape Town during the day to protest against the gang violence on the Cape Flats. Once night time hits, it is back to normal.
Or we can take a bold step and address the fundamental aspect that allows gangs to flourish, which is the revenue they get from illegal drug sales. Removing that would be a bold step in removing gang violence from the Flats.
* Henry Arendse, Goodwood.
** The views expressed here are not necessarily those of Independent Media.