The government seems to have lost its fight against crime. Safety and Security Minister Charles Nqakula has said that people must stop complaining and do something.

The government seems to have lost its fight against crime. Safety and Security Minister Charles Nqakula has said that people must stop complaining and do something.

But what's the point of reporting a crime and seeing the culprit walk free the next day?

I still think disarming gun owners in the name of creating a gun-free society was the biggest mistake.

Some might argue that it is a sane idea, but really, what else can stop an armed criminal charging towards you with only brutality in mind? And this in your own house. If people can't protect themselves, who will? The police? Well, the dedicated few can't do it alone.

It doesn't end there. There are parents who hack their children to death. Do such people really deserve the right to life?

Excuses that poverty and unemployment cause crime have been made but that doesn't justify taking someone's life.

Prisons are now infested with corrupt officials. There are prison warders allowing dangerous prisoners to simply walk out.

What can the communities do under such circumstances? What solution is there apart from the death penalty?

Crime is a thorn in everyone's flesh. The death penalty is the most avoided subject in our government and only it knows why.

Lwazi Stuurman, Village Seven