Send in the army for what, whom and why???? Is the most appropriate army being sent?
We are traumatised by years and years of abuse, violence, crime and poverty. Send in an army of social workers, psychologists, psychiatrists, sociologists, and trauma counsellors.
Our youth and adults are jobless and hopeless, leaving our children malnourished, prone to ill-health, lack of concentration at school and open to abuse by criminal elements, caregivers and some sex pests. Rather send in an army of dieticians and food banks, paediatricians, child psychologists, speech therapists, oral hygienists, remedial education practitioners, and sports coaches.
Our communities members are unemployed or work low paid low-level jobs. Rather send in an army of skills development practitioners with facilities and resources that will equip our people with skills necessary to eke out a decent living and with skills that with will take our people out of slave waged low level jobs.
Our working class areas, houses and properties are overcrowded leaving our families with severe stress because they are not able to afford buying a house of their own and have been on the housing waiting list for decades. Rather send in an army of town planners, architects, builders and give us land in the inner city and in places closer to places of work that will cut down on traveling times and costs.
Our children are succumbing to drug addiction and gangsterism. Rather send in an army of drug rehabilitation programmes and support groups to assist and lead our children into living a productive, healthy life.
We are losing our children by the day and live in fear behind our gates where we are being preyed upon by criminal elements. Rather send in an army of policemen, law enforcement officers, magistrates, judges and correctional officers to combat organised crime and deal with these terrorists swiftly and harshly in specialised gang courts where POCA is enforced, where SAPS, departments of Justice and Correctional Services work hand in glove all the time.
We live in a dog-eat-dog world where the rich feed off the poor, in a world where capitalism reigns supreme, in a world where its economic system works for a few and leaves the majority in abject poverty. Rather send in an army of real and true revolutionaries to overthrow this inhumane system that's killing our people.
* Henriette Abrahams is a community activist in Bonteheuwel..
** The views expressed here are not necessarily those of Independent Media.