American-style mass killings hit our shores

The dreaded American-style mass killings have hit our shores with a bang.

You may think it is unreasonable to blame the US for the recent spate of mass shootings in our country. But if you consider how much influence the US has around the world, then I may not be far-fetched in laying the blame at the feet of the US.

America’s degenerate lifestyle is contagious and pervades the world. Its show-biz world of glitz and glamour, the gobble-and-go fast foods and fizzy drinks, its violent, sexually explicit movies, its culture of drugs and rap music and its addiction to guns as much as the Bible, have infected the young and gullible far and wide across the globe. Ever since cowboy films portrayed gunslingers as heroes and worshipped them for being the fastest on the draw, Americans regard the gun as an inalienable right of their US citizenship.

In recent times there has been a spate of mass killings in the US. This contagion has spread to our country. In a matter of just three months, around 120 people have lost their lives through gun violence, the worst being the Lusikisiki massacre, where 18 people were gunned down. This is two more than the 2022 Soweto murder where 16 people were gunned down in execution style. Gunmen may find killing one victim boring and time-consuming. Rather be ruthless and mow down the whole lot. It is more effective and grabs news headlines.

Many of the mass killings could be related to turf wars among gangsters and drug lords, especially in the Western Cape townships where lawlessness has become a way of life. In the rural Eastern Cape it could revenge killings among warring clans and families. But whatever the causes of mass killings in the country, two things stand out clearly: like America, our country is awash with guns and our police are ineffective in combating crime. Our leaders need to find ways to make the country safe again. For too long criminals have been getting away with murder.

T MARKANDAN | Kloof

The views expressed here are not necessarily those of Independent Media or IOL.

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