MY SECURITY UPGRADES
Narendra Modi took the initiative to clean up India, which has been warmly
received by the people,including the elite and the man in the street. It's a good
thing to emulate the example of a country's leader or leaders. In South Africa, the
emphasis is on security upgrades, because it's the most worrying factor in this
country. Littering tarnishes the face of cities and towns, but that problem gets a backseat because the first priority goes to protect oneself from thieves and robbers,
who operate 24/7/365 with impunity.
President Jacob Zuma set a good example by carrying out security upgrades
at his private residence at Nkandla, at a cost of R 256 million, allegedly at the
taxpayers' expense. Whatever be the source of the money, security upgrades are
indispensable, as experienced by the P.M and MPs in the Canadian Parliament
recently. The PM narrowly escaped the would -be assassin's bullets, thanks to the
heroic intervention of the 58-year old Sergeant -at-arms, who used his weapon most
efficiently. This incident emphasizes the need for security upgrades.
Nadine Gordmer's short story ' Once Upon a Time' depicts a white family, during
the apartheid era, who live in fear of intruders and thieves, and leaves no stone unturned in their efforts to beef up security by raising the height of the compound wall, by installing alarm systems, and finally by erecting a vicious barbed wire structure called ' Dragon's Teeth.' Their only child gets entangled in it ,and dies.
The insecurity was blamed on apartheid, which marginalised the black majority, and
pushed some of them into crime.
Alan Paton's famous novel, ' Cry, the Beloved Country' deals with the issue of crime.
It was published in 1948. Paton entitled his novel 'Cry, the Beloved Country ' because
of the agony caused by the unnecessary loss of life due to crime. 20 years into
democracy, the title haunts us due to the crime wave sweeping the country. Today,
the compound walls are higher, the alarm systems are much more sophisticated, the
dogs are more vicious, but these are no match for criminals who operate in large groups and are one step ahead of the police and private security companies. No one, nowhere is safe. Last week , a prominent ANC MP, Mr Mathembu, was shot and
wounded near an ATM. Robberies at shopping malls are the order rather than the
exception. The most worrying thing is that robbers and thieves from foreign countries are flocking to South Africa to share the loot.
A new definition is to be found for some Third World democracies, for eg, ' A farcical
situation in which law-abiding citizens live under house arrest in the night while
thieves and robbers roam the streets freely, unchallenged.''
The VIPs are well-protected by hordes of elite troops surrounding them . But the
'man in the street' or ' aam admi' or the VUP ( Very Unimportant Person ) has to
fend for himself, against all odds, including the threat from thieves. Even the streets
are unsafe for him. Yet he is the one who has to foot the bills of the VIPs and the
bills of the criminals who are treated like VIPs in the Guest Houses, formerly
known as prisons.
Anyway, my security upgrade estimate
for 2014/ 2015 are as follow:
1 Raising the height of the compound wall by one metre R 25000-00
2 2 Additional dogs R 2000-00
3 Dog food R 5000-00
4 Electric fence R 10000-00
5 Barbed wire R 7000-00
6 Extra light fittings R 8000-00
7 New alarm system R 12000-00
8 CCTV R 15000-00
9 Gun R 5000-00
10 Shooting lessons R 6000-00
11 karate lessons R 8000-00
12 Other R 10000-00
Total R 113000-00
This is the fate of VUPs !
Narendra Modi took the initiative to clean up India, which has been warmly
received by the people,including the elite and the man in the street. It's a good
thing to emulate the example of a country's leader or leaders. In South Africa, the
emphasis is on security upgrades, because it's the most worrying factor in this
country. Littering tarnishes the face of cities and towns, but that problem gets a backseat because the first priority goes to protect oneself from thieves and robbers,
who operate 24/7/365 with impunity.
President Jacob Zuma set a good example by carrying out security upgrades
at his private residence at Nkandla, at a cost of R 256 million, allegedly at the
taxpayers' expense. Whatever be the source of the money, security upgrades are
indispensable, as experienced by the P.M and MPs in the Canadian Parliament
recently. The PM narrowly escaped the would -be assassin's bullets, thanks to the
heroic intervention of the 58-year old Sergeant -at-arms, who used his weapon most
efficiently. This incident emphasizes the need for security upgrades.
Nadine Gordmer's short story ' Once Upon a Time' depicts a white family, during
the apartheid era, who live in fear of intruders and thieves, and leaves no stone unturned in their efforts to beef up security by raising the height of the compound wall, by installing alarm systems, and finally by erecting a vicious barbed wire structure called ' Dragon's Teeth.' Their only child gets entangled in it ,and dies.
The insecurity was blamed on apartheid, which marginalised the black majority, and
pushed some of them into crime.
Alan Paton's famous novel, ' Cry, the Beloved Country' deals with the issue of crime.
It was published in 1948. Paton entitled his novel 'Cry, the Beloved Country ' because
of the agony caused by the unnecessary loss of life due to crime. 20 years into
democracy, the title haunts us due to the crime wave sweeping the country. Today,
the compound walls are higher, the alarm systems are much more sophisticated, the
dogs are more vicious, but these are no match for criminals who operate in large groups and are one step ahead of the police and private security companies. No one, nowhere is safe. Last week , a prominent ANC MP, Mr Mathembu, was shot and
wounded near an ATM. Robberies at shopping malls are the order rather than the
exception. The most worrying thing is that robbers and thieves from foreign countries are flocking to South Africa to share the loot.
A new definition is to be found for some Third World democracies, for eg, ' A farcical
situation in which law-abiding citizens live under house arrest in the night while
thieves and robbers roam the streets freely, unchallenged.''
The VIPs are well-protected by hordes of elite troops surrounding them . But the
'man in the street' or ' aam admi' or the VUP ( Very Unimportant Person ) has to
fend for himself, against all odds, including the threat from thieves. Even the streets
are unsafe for him. Yet he is the one who has to foot the bills of the VIPs and the
bills of the criminals who are treated like VIPs in the Guest Houses, formerly
known as prisons.
Anyway, my security upgrade estimate
1 Raising the height of the compound wall by one metre R 25000-00
2 2 Additional dogs R 2000-00
3 Dog food R 5000-00
4 Electric fence R 10000-00
5 Barbed wire R 7000-00
6 Extra light fittings R 8000-00
7 New alarm system R 12000-00
8 CCTV R 15000-00
9 Gun R 5000-00
10 Shooting lessons R 6000-00
11 karate lessons R 8000-00
12 Other R 10000-00
Total R 113000-00
This is the fate of VUPs !
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