We live in fear while leaders hide behind bodyguards

‘Crime is out of control.” That was the stark conclusion reached by Brent Lindeque in a Facebook video after witnessing a brazen armed robbery in broad daylight.

A hooded man pointed a firearm at a motorist, robbed the victim, calmly tucked away the weapon, crossed the road and climbed into a taxi as if nothing had happened. For Lindeque, the incident reopened old wounds. Years after surviving a violent robbery, he admitted that the memory brings him to tears. The fear, the helplessness and the trauma never leave.

If a grown man can be haunted by such an experience years later, what does that say about the reality faced by millions of women in South Africa who are targeted because they are women? What is it like to navigate public spaces knowing that danger could be waiting around any corner? What does it do to the human spirit to live in a country where many women no longer feel safe to walk or drive alone or even sleep in their own homes?

Every year, government leaders stand before microphones and pledge their commitment to the fight against gender-based violence. Billions are spent on campaigns, conferences, summits and awareness drives. Yet the lived reality of many South Africans remains one of fear and uncertainty.

Many public officials move with security details and bodyguards. They are surrounded by layers of protection that ordinary South Africans can only dream of. But do they understand what it means to feel vulnerable every day?

South Africans are once again confronted by reports of women murdered and their bodies dumped in various parts of Ekurhuleni. Families are left searching for answers. Communities are left gripped by fear. Women and girls are left wondering whether they could be next.

South Africans are demanding a criminal justice system that delivers swift consequences for those who terrorise communities. They are demanding leadership that treats the crisis with the urgency it deserves.

Concerns about border management and immigration have also become part of the national conversation. Many South Africans believe the government has failed to properly manage migration and documentation processes. These concerns deserve to be addressed through effective policy, efficient administration and the consistent enforcement of the law.

The government has a responsibility to ensure that everyone living in South Africa, regardless of background, is subject to the law and that criminality is confronted decisively.If we accept that violence is entrenched in our society, how can it make sense to ignore the impact of allowing large numbers of illegal immigrants to enter and remain in the country unchecked?

Nobody is suggesting that every illegal immigrant is a criminal. But it is illogical to pretend that among hundreds of thousands, or even millions, of undocumented people whose identities, backgrounds and histories are unknown to authorities, there will be no criminals.

A functioning state should know who enters its territory, where they come from and under what conditions they are permitted to remain there. When those questions cannot be answered, public safety inevitably becomes a concern.

Citizens have every right to ask whether unchecked illegal immigration is adding strain to an overwhelmed law enforcement system. That is not xenophobia. It is a demand for order, accountability and the equal application of the law.

• Botha is a gun violence survivor and a secretariat member of the Global Coalition for WHO Action on Firearm Violence.

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