(This was my UNISA assignment. I was accused of plagiarism)
Jesus Christ was crucified and killed by means of mob justice. Agree to disagree.
Nelson Mandela was considered a man with a backbone. He instigated, he spurred, he plotted and he even negotiated with the enemy; all of this so that justice and freedom could be given to his people. Contrary to what the post-1948 narrow-minded South African thinks, not many white leaders did for the minority what Nelson Mandela and a few liberals did for the majority of South Africa. Whereas one could side with the justice system of the Regime, many can still argue that the righteousness of millions, making up the mob of the 80’s and 90’s, served far more purpose than the law book of that time. Mob justice certainly served its purpose.
What was considered as outright violence, cowardice and total disregard of the law, at the time, was called the struggle by many. Many laid down their lives for the cause. Unfortunately the mob was divided. During the period of the 80’s and 90’s, the Inkhatha Freedom Party (IFP) and African National Congress (ANC) each had a justice system of their own. This in itself caused mayhem which had to be controlled by the law of the time. Regardless of the fact that the violence was caused by these two parties, they both blamed the Regime. The Regime may have had the fire power, but never had the ability to clamp down on the will and drive of the mob, whichever mob we were looking at. Mob justice caused confusion in governance.
The Voortrekker, Piet Retief, learnt of mob justice in the worst possible way. Dingane kaSenzangakhona Zulu, or better known as Dingaan, asked Piet Retief to search a part of the land around his Kraal for cattle which had gone missing. After finding, and returning the cattle to the Kraal, Retief and Dingaan signed a treaty, in which Dingaan ceded part of the land to Retief and his party of Voortrekkers. During a feast, arranged in honour of Retief and his newly obtained land, the mob justice system of 1838, ensured that Retief and his diplomatic party met their end. Dingaan did not have Shaka’s superior military skills, and had to revert to cowardice. Not only did he kill Retief and his party, but launched an attack on the Retief encampment, killing five hundred more Voortrekkers, including women and children. Mob justice worked for the Zulus, but it blemished the white history of South Africa.
Xenophobia is a word often feared and misinterpreted, but in selected circles it spells pride for the ‘cause of domestic justice’. The word has its origin in the Greek language: Xenos, meaning “stranger” or “foreigner”, and phobos, meaning “fear”. How much more explanation is required to make anyone understand why people in any country would pour petrol over any other “stranger” or “foreigner”, set them alight, while beating them with a concrete beam? When does one draw the line between good xenophobia and bad xenophobia? Muslims in Rwanda do not like Christians; the two groups do not get along. In order for the term xenophobia to take effect, Christian women are raped, their breasts cut off so that they cannot suckle their newborn babies. They are lucky if they are left to live – their babies won’t. How many men do you see in refugee camps? Hardly any. They fight to the end. The largest army with the most weaponry – or the most diamonds wins. Diamonds can buy more weapons. But you need a mob; a mob with the same ideology or belief. Mob justice works for Africa.
Jesus Christ was crucified and killed by means of mob justice. How can a statement like this be justified if there was a strong Roman government at the time? Pontius Pilate was the Prefect of the Roman Empire in Judea from 26 AD to 36 AD, the year in which Jesus Christ died. (I think his conscious self got the better of him.) Due to his spineless judgement on that day, he succumbed to the demands of the mob. The same crowd, who welcomed Jesus into Jerusalem four days earlier, are now the mob who is baying for his blood. Every year a criminal was released to favour the citizens. Even after Herod Antipas and Pontius Pilate could not find anything to convict Jesus with, the crowd still insisted on Him being crucified. The best Pontius Pilate could do was to wash his hands of them. The mob had their way, and, under supervision of the Roman soldiers, Jesus was nailed to the cross. There the mob enjoyed their last moments of mockery.
Does mob justice serve a purpose? What is the purpose of mob justice? The community at large are not usually partial to, or cannot be blamed for mob justice; there are the elements. There are those who defend the innocents of a rural village, by means of ‘sentencing’ a known rapist in a bush court. As argued above, it works for the ones with the same ideology, the same purpose of mind. If the law of the day cannot establish righteousness where it is due, or to protect the innocent, let the law of the people apply, for the same purpose; not to prove the survival of the fittest, or to show the army with the most weaponry.
In South Africa today security plays a vital part in any business or private home. This book and the volumes to follow, will guide you step by step through the essential precautionary measures to be taken in protecting your family and valuables. From employing security guards, evacuation of your site and security measures to burglar bars and alarms in your private home.
a Book compiled by me from experience gained after 10 years in the security industry as Industrial relations officer with Nosa qualifications, 1st Aid, fire protection and also S.O.B. grade A.
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