My dear male compatriots,
I address this letter to you my fellowmen (not women) with a very heavy heart, anxiety, and bewilderment caused by recent horrific events that are increasing and rising to an unbearable crescendo. Not a day passes by without reports of a gruesome rape or murder of a child, a girl, a woman or even an old granny at the hands of men perpetrators. Like rabid packs of hyenas, these men and boys attack, gang rape, mutilate, and murder females for no apparent reason other than satisfying a few minutes of sexual pleasure.
Those among us who have the talent to jabber and comment on public media say that the perpetrators of these heinous deeds do it because of unemployment and drugs. Let’s debunk these myths. If unemployment was a cause, why are there no such rape and murder epidemics in countries that have much higher unemployment rates than South Africa? Why are there no such epidemics in countries where drug consumption is much higher than that of South Africa? In any case, where do these unemployed South Africans get the dosh to splurge on drugs and alcohol?
I am appealing to all South African men where ever you are, at the barbers, the pub at shisa nyama, soccer club, tavern, lunch break, taxi rank, parties and gigs, church synagogue, mosque, and everywhere to talk about this scourge that is affecting us all. Our mothers, sisters, aunts, cousins, friends, colleagues and children are now on the endangered species list while all men are potential criminals! What ever your past time, be it sipping your favourite malt, sniffing your preferred powder, puffing and getting your desired nicotine fix, or simply having your daily dose of caffeine, you have to condone this barbaric activity.
I say, let’s rise up and protest against this decline into barbarism, and speak out against rape. Let’s report rapists, (even if they are our friends) and have them face the law. Let’s adopt the motto: ‘a rapist is not my friend’ and shun those that abuse women. Let’s make sure those men who rape and abuse women and children (what ever the pretext) do not belong to our clubs, circles, gangs, villages, wards, congregations etc. Let’s tell these misfits who think they have such big dicks, to go and do it on banana trees. And if they have the stamina they proclaim, to try zebras and experience the angry kicks of zebra mares that have been violated, let alone the wrath of hunters, the SPCA and animal rights groups. (No offence meant to the zebras)
To the pastors and preacher men, I challenge you to preach the gospel of anti-rape and anti abuse of children and women. I challenge you to speak out and defrocking those among you that rape and insist that they be jailed,
I am appealing to any man who is a leader of any grouping to take up the campaign for tough punishment against perpetrators of this heinous act. Since the noose is outlawed, let’s campaign for life sentences and for ‘life to mean life’. Those shorter sentences should be served fully with parole only at the completion of the sentence, not a day less. (After all, rapists don’t give their victims parole!) Let twenty years mean twenty and life mean life.
Desperate situations call for desperate measures. So, is it too much to campaign for those convicted of rape and murder to have the offending part cut off or disabled? Surely the constitution allows for such stringent measures. Perhaps perpetrators may be forced to think twice before they get into a drunken or drugged stupor in order to go on a raping rampage. At least those that get convicted will be put away for a long, long time. Let’s campaign so government amend the laws. It is possible. After all, government “R” us!
I am appealing to you corporate men who run and commission big swanky and expensive advertisements to use your financial muscle to run ad campaigns to stop this dreadful disease. Please sponsor banners, billboards, newspaper insets and lamppost posters all crying out “stop the rape!”
Surely, my fellow men, how can a few thousand scoundrels spoil the image, destroy lives and blackmail millions of us and turn our country into one of perpetual sorrow and fear? We have the numbers; we have the resources, let’s summon the will and courage to banish this scrooge of rape and female abuse to the dustbin of unpleasant history.
Regards,
CJ Thumpkin
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