Our thoughts and prayers are with the grieving families of the Lusikisiki massacre victims as they navigate a painful terrain of coming to terms with what has befallen them.
It’s unimaginable that so many people, mostly belonging to one family could be killed in such a callous manner.
Seventeen people were shot dead at the homestead on September 27. An eighteenth person was declared dead hours later.
A two-month-old baby was among those who miraculously survived while 15 women were murdered. The incident happened as the family was preparing for a traditional ceremony.
These ceremonies by their nature require that they be conducted in a peaceful environment. How this very important aspect escaped perpetrators shows how broken our societies have become.
Secondly, disputes, however big or small, are resolved through negotiation where the elders in the family or village are seized with the responsibility of ensuring that no one feels hard done by.
The use of weapons to settle disputes reveals the magnitude of the problem confronting our society.
Most importantly, however, this incident, as argued by Sisonke Mlamla in his opinion piece, reflects how communal ties have frayed.
“The Nyathi village shooting is not just an indictment of the failure of law enforcement, but also a tragic reflection of how communal ties have frayed. Historically, communities in the Eastern Cape, like many in South Africa, relied on close-knit relationships, cultural practices, and collective responsibility to maintain order. In times of crisis, communities turned to one another for support, conflict resolution, and protection.”
We concur with this assertion. It’s time for communities, especially rural villages to use this tragedy to revisit the old and established mechanisms that have successfully held them together.
It’s from these humble beginnings that many leaders of this country have emerged. We can’t afford to have our rural communities become killing fields.
To the grieving families, we say akuhlanga lungehlanga.
Cape Times