READERS of this newspaper were jarred yesterday by pictures of two young women being sexually molested by a group of men in full view of the public.
The young women's sin was to walk past the now infamous Noord Street taxi rank in Johannesburg clad in miniskirts. And for that they were mobbed by the men, who groped them, slapped theirbottoms and forcibly took pictures of them.
The low level of thebarbarism is beyond description - and while this public raping of the women's souls was going on, the perpetrators and largely male onlookers are seen smiling gleefully at the spectacle.
The attack on Friday was the third of its kind at the same taxi rank in as many years. In the first instance in 2008, no one was arrested because the authorities claimed CCTV cameras had not captured images.
In the second there was an arrest but nothing seems to have come of it. The story simply fizzled out, and it is not clear if anyone was ever charged (let alone convicted) for the attack.
The outrage that followed the second attack (carried out by taxi drivers) should have sent a message to all and sundry that there is no room for such barbarism. Even taxi bosses added their voices to the condemnation of their members, calling for stern action to be taken.
Now this.
If the perpetrators are not charged, the CCTV cameras in the city centre might as well be ripped off and sold as junk.
We are astounded that in spite of CCTV coverage of the rank, the police failed to respond effectively and promptly. When they eventually did, they merely escorted the victims off the scene.
Why did they not make any arrests? Is that tacit proof that they are incapable of handling the hooligans who are making the city streets impassable for most peace-loving South Africans?
Nevertheless, we expect the police (metro and SAPS) to make use of the footage, to trace the girls' attackers and ensure there is a prosecution.
The routine mantra that "the police are investigating" has lost its currency and begun to irritate, especially since too many cases never end up in court, and consequentlycriminals go unpunished.
Video footage, which is available this time, is almost half the job done. What needs to happen now is that someone has to knuckle down, find the men and charge them.
A strong message ought to be sent out to the general public that no one has the right to impose their own standards - be it tradition, culture, "morals" or dress code - on anyone.
Vile act of barbarism
READERS of this newspaper were jarred yesterday by pictures of two young women being sexually molested by a group of men in full view of the public.
The young women's sin was to walk past the now infamous Noord Street taxi rank in Johannesburg clad in miniskirts. And for that they were mobbed by the men, who groped them, slapped theirbottoms and forcibly took pictures of them.
The low level of thebarbarism is beyond description - and while this public raping of the women's souls was going on, the perpetrators and largely male onlookers are seen smiling gleefully at the spectacle.
The attack on Friday was the third of its kind at the same taxi rank in as many years. In the first instance in 2008, no one was arrested because the authorities claimed CCTV cameras had not captured images.
In the second there was an arrest but nothing seems to have come of it. The story simply fizzled out, and it is not clear if anyone was ever charged (let alone convicted) for the attack.
The outrage that followed the second attack (carried out by taxi drivers) should have sent a message to all and sundry that there is no room for such barbarism. Even taxi bosses added their voices to the condemnation of their members, calling for stern action to be taken.
Now this.
If the perpetrators are not charged, the CCTV cameras in the city centre might as well be ripped off and sold as junk.
We are astounded that in spite of CCTV coverage of the rank, the police failed to respond effectively and promptly. When they eventually did, they merely escorted the victims off the scene.
Why did they not make any arrests? Is that tacit proof that they are incapable of handling the hooligans who are making the city streets impassable for most peace-loving South Africans?
Nevertheless, we expect the police (metro and SAPS) to make use of the footage, to trace the girls' attackers and ensure there is a prosecution.
The routine mantra that "the police are investigating" has lost its currency and begun to irritate, especially since too many cases never end up in court, and consequentlycriminals go unpunished.
Video footage, which is available this time, is almost half the job done. What needs to happen now is that someone has to knuckle down, find the men and charge them.
A strong message ought to be sent out to the general public that no one has the right to impose their own standards - be it tradition, culture, "morals" or dress code - on anyone.
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