JOHANNESBURG - A week of despair in Ekurhuleni has renewed concerns about safety, policing and the state of the country's criminal justice system.
The discovery of nine bodies in the Ekurhuleni metro has left communities grappling with fear and grief.
Anti-apartheid activist and clinical psychologist Professor Saths Cooper says the killings are evidence of deeper problems within the country’s democracy and criminal justice system.
“We have a failure in our democracy to make our streets and our communities safe because of the sheer lack of visible policing, the sheer lack of caring and intentionality to preclude this kind of event.”
Cooper says the killings highlight what he describes as a breakdown in the criminal justice system, particularly within the police service.
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He argues that communities are being left vulnerable when there is not enough visible policing or effective intervention to prevent violent crime.
“It just declares the entire society in terms of criminal justice vulnerable. It shows us that there's a breakdown from the top in the criminal justice system and particularly the police.”
Cooper also questioned whether promises from authorities can provide reassurance to communities that have already experienced repeated violence.
He says statements made after murders occur can feel inadequate to families and communities who want to know why preventative measures were not taken earlier.
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“How are you going to protect us now?”
For Cooper, the deaths in Ekurhuleni should serve as a serious warning to leaders at both national and local government levels.
“This is a serious wake-up call to our leadership at national and local levels that we are failing our population because all the indices show that this country is one of the most violent without war.”