To Do Nothing

Where was everybody?

Where were those thousands and thousands, perhaps even millions, of angry South African citizens showing in our numbers that we refused to live any longer in an unsafe nation?

Thabo Mbeki must have been laughing in his mahogany Union Building office when reports came back that the Johannesburg march had consisted of maybe two hundred people. Puffing on his pipe, he so easily could have said, yes, see, it is all just media perceptions. If South Africans really were being so traumatised by crime they would have turned out in their thousands.

Where was everybody?

This is also what I was mildly thinking as I drove in circles about town on Saturday morning, searching for the Anti-Crime march. But I get too easily distracted when in the CBD – by taxis letting me in, cutting me off, the shops, the argh-not-another-one-wrong-way! But search for 3/4s of an hour I still did;
“Oh Look! That looks like an angry crowd….no, no, only the usual Saturday morning shopping crowds trying to cross the road. Mooooooovee…it’s my turn to go….argh”.

Finally, up near the Civic buildings I detected the flashing blue lights of badly parked cop cars, journos, white t-shirts & pink ribbons, and some banners waved about by a handful of an angry mob.

I parked my car opposite the Parktownian. Prayed it would still be there on my return. Thought of the foreigner murdered there a few years ago, for his laptop, because he chanced to walk one block at night. I hid all “valuables” under seats & in my pockets, and joined the throng. Added my voice. Stamped my feet. Banged on my “ANTI CRIME. PRO GOV” poster. And felt despondent about the poor turn out.

I wonder if I would really have made it, had I not received a reprimanding the night before. Even joking that I might be sleeping off Friday night’s wine was met with a good friend heavily reminding me of my constant bleating about More Action, Less Talk.

She could not be there as she was filming a crime story somewhere else that day. My Darling D could not make it because he was working. My folks could not make it because they had puppy training. My maid couldn’t join me cause she had to be in the house. Some others were riding Argus bicycles. Not everyone even knew the march was taking place. But where was everybody else??

There was but one face I recognised amongst the few people chanting
“Down with crime!! Down Down Down!”
“Listen Mbeki! Listen!”
That face was of the woman who used to work at my last flat. It was so good to see her again. We miss each other.
The crowd was blessed through a Muslim Prayer.

And inspired by the words of African Christian Democratic Party president, Kenneth Meshoe.

We reminded officials present that we were not there to insult South Africa. We loved our country. We should not have to leave because of criminals. That we wanted our nation be healed from the violent and criminal atmosphere it currently endured. That this was not the atmosphere we voted for in 1994. That our movements and lives are currently restricted because of criminals – and that this should not be. (Thank you to VIRSA & others for organising the protests.)

Imagine there had been thousands of South Africans standing outside the Mayor’s office shouting our agreements to Meshoe’s words and others’ chants. Imagine how Mbeki would have listened then.

Where was everybody?

Meshoe finished his speech with:
"All that is necessary for evil to triumph is for good men and women to do nothing.”