THE killing last Saturday’s of a senior All Basotho Convention (ABC) official, Moliboea Theko, is yet another vivid illustration of the immense challenges facing the coalition government.
Theko stood and lost in last May’s general election against the Democratic Congress (DC)’s deputy leader Monyane Moleleki.
With a possible great political future ahead of him, Theko’s life was snuffed out violently last Saturday. What a waste!
The killing clearly captures what is wrong with Basotho society.
As we have highlighted on this page before, we seem to have morphed into a society that believes in settling differences through violence. We also seem to worship violence.
That is sad.
But what is particularly galling for us is the police’s shameful success rate in nabbing the violent criminals that roam amidst us.
While there have been few arrests here and there, we note with sadness that the majority of killers seem to get away with it.
There have been a number of high profile murders that have been reported during the course of the year with no arrests being made.
Other killings, dating back almost 10 years, have also not been cracked.
If these high profile killings are not resolved this has a chilling effect on ordinary Basotho.
The police must do more to get these killers arrested and prosecuted in courts of law to restore the public’s faith in our security services.
Especially during this festive season, the police must be on top of their game to ensure Basotho enjoy their holidays unmolested.
The killings also suggest there are lots of illegal guns in the hands of deranged criminals.
The police must seize these illegal guns.
With better policing methods, much more can be done to prevent violent crime.
But it is not just the police that must act to crush crime.
Our justice system must complement their efforts.
The courts must impose stiffer sentences on violent criminals to deter would-be criminals from pursuing the same murderous course.
While judges and magistrates must tamper justice with mercy this must not be at the expense of peace-loving Basotho.
We want stiffer sentences to dissuade criminals.
But the biggest key to combating violent crime lies in education.
We need to educate all Basotho that we cannot resolve our differences through violence.
We need to educate boys that the cultural perception that it’s manly to resort to violence to settle differences is as outdated as it is myopic.
Only then can we hope to root out the anger that feeds violent crime.
It is our hope here at the Sunday Express that as we break for the holidays you will take the time to enjoy your holidays after what has been a long and difficult year.
We wish to thank all our readers and advertisers for the support during the year.
We hope that next year will be even much better as you pursue your different endeavours.
Enjoy your holidays responsibly.
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