P o Box 21483
Roshnee
1936
Vereeniging
25 August 26, 2007
The Editor
The Star
P O Box
Dear Sir
High crime rate in South Africa
I am writing this letter in regard to the high crime rate we are seeing in South Africa today.
I as a citizen of this country believe that the crime rate is at an uncontrollable and unacceptable high rate. In my own town and country I fear for my life, family and possessions. It is not a fear I feel alone but by those around me to. In my opinion my “right to life” and “safety and security” is in great danger and I can not reap the benefits of these rights.
Murders! Rape! Robbery! Hijacking! These are the only things I hear about on the radio and see in the newspapers on a daily basis. Not only do the media make aware the fact that we are living in a crime stricken country but also the fact, that people in my own street are affected by these crimes. Yes, crime takes place everywhere in the world but not at such a large scale and most definitely, as statistics show, every 17 seconds.
With the country developing and hosting the 2010 Soccer World Cup, crime rate statistics are far too high. From April 2006 unto March 2007 murder increased by 2.4% (19,202); home invasions up 25.4 % (12,761); hijackings up 6 % (13,599); business robbery up 6.5% (6,689); cash in-transit robbery up 21.9% (467); and bank robbery almost doubled (129). Rape reports have seen a decrease by 5.2% however 5700 cases were reported in Cape Town alone.
These are definitely ridiculous amounts and immediate action must take place! Is the crime rate at such a peak that we are forced to bring back the death penalty? If not, what other alternative are we left with? Government together with police is working tirelessly trying to crack down on this epidemic yet the results remain unchanged. Citizens are fed up with living imprisoned in their own land and have taken the law in their hands. Call it breaking the law but we are left with no better option and tomorrow I could a victim.
Yours Sincerely
Aamena Khota
statistics obtained from:
allafrica.com
news.bbc.co.uk
http://www.os.ac.gov/
The Star
The Sunday Times
Sunday, August 26, 2007
Monday, August 13, 2007
Evaluation of Term1 and Term2
The year started with a blast and from day one we were kept on our toes in the English class. We were introduced to a new world of English and a totally different form of teaching. However, the highlight at the beginning of the year was most certainly meeting MR SUJEE. Yes, the English teacher we dreaded!!!
We were soon to learn that the supposedly "terrifying" man, was in reality our blessing. Personally I took a liking to Mr Sujee from day one. I came to realize that not only was I lucky to have Mr Sujee as my teacher, but also to have a teacher who would not rest until I proved to reach my potential.
On the other hand, I cannot conceal the fact, that in term one the work load did reach mountain peaks and at times I felt I was not going to cope. The adjustment was more than just steps but rather a leap, not only in English but other subjects too. On the more positive note, I would like to add that my study of William Shakespeare's "The Merchant of Venice", was definitely one of the most exciting learning experiences of my life. The skills we acquired, the intense work we covered and learning style of the novel was most challenging yet remarkable.
Term one and two passed being very challenging but also productive terms. I learnt that hard work and effort pay off at the end of the day. I've also come to believe that "excellence is not just an occasion but a habit."
We were soon to learn that the supposedly "terrifying" man, was in reality our blessing. Personally I took a liking to Mr Sujee from day one. I came to realize that not only was I lucky to have Mr Sujee as my teacher, but also to have a teacher who would not rest until I proved to reach my potential.
On the other hand, I cannot conceal the fact, that in term one the work load did reach mountain peaks and at times I felt I was not going to cope. The adjustment was more than just steps but rather a leap, not only in English but other subjects too. On the more positive note, I would like to add that my study of William Shakespeare's "The Merchant of Venice", was definitely one of the most exciting learning experiences of my life. The skills we acquired, the intense work we covered and learning style of the novel was most challenging yet remarkable.
Term one and two passed being very challenging but also productive terms. I learnt that hard work and effort pay off at the end of the day. I've also come to believe that "excellence is not just an occasion but a habit."
A drop of blood
It is 3’o clock in the morning…It is a dead street in Baghdad. The sound nobody likes to hear echoes in the distance. Sirens fill the dead silence. Without the need of a second warning, dim lights appear in the shelters across the street. Time is ticking and every second counts. They will arrive soon and any soul in sight stands no chance of survival. People bustle to gather their belongings and burry themselves beneath their trapdoors. The earth begins to vibrate as the monsters approach. The sound and smell of the caspers casts terror in everybody’s hearts. The tension in the air increases as well as the vibrations. In a matter of minutes, silence creeps again.
Standing beneath a broken shelter, are two young children. A brother of 7 and a sister of 5, still in their night clothes and dazed at the happenings of the early morning. A man gathering his last minute belongings notices the two aloof. He knows he must call them and shelter them or else their fate will be mortality. He screams at6 the top of his voice trying to signal the two to run across the road and to his shelter before the “insurgents” arrive. They are in eye distance and time is limited. The man dropping his belongings runs across the street to collect the children. He picks up the little girl, takes the hand of the boy and starts running…They are close, very close.
Without warning, without reason (bang bang bang, dhoof dhoof dhoof) is heard. Shrill screams of pain and drops of blood of two innocent children touch the soil…the man lays unconscious. Soon, chaos breaks out in the dead street but nothing can be done about the pool of blood in which two young lives rest.
“16 people killed and 70 wounded in an insurgent attack”, reads across all the media. However, no mention is made of the injustice of these killings, rather an excuse for them. Does it not move you to know that while you laugh and play and while your baby brother or sister enjoys the taste of an ice-cream, two innocent young children have become victims of a brutal killing? Are you not angered to know that blood was spilt of two young children on their own soil?
You and I take for granted the luxury we have and too often forget the sufferings of the one’s who will share our future. These are children being killed. Children like you and I. One in every eight Iraqi children die before their 5th birthdays due to violence or related issues such as lack of food, clothes, shelter or family. (Point in essence)
Whether these killings are being carried out by insurgents, occupiers or freedom fighters the result remains unchanged in the end. Death after death, child after child. Why are the cries of these children not heard! Why are we sitting back and watching this happen. Our futures stand dented by the loss of these innocent lives.
Take a stand now! We are all, as children, part of this war, whether accept it or not and in time it will affect us all, sitting here in our safe, comfortable classrooms or in a war stricken Iraq. Fight against this TODAY, for every minute we waste, is another child’s blood in the soil.
By: Aamena Khota
Standing beneath a broken shelter, are two young children. A brother of 7 and a sister of 5, still in their night clothes and dazed at the happenings of the early morning. A man gathering his last minute belongings notices the two aloof. He knows he must call them and shelter them or else their fate will be mortality. He screams at6 the top of his voice trying to signal the two to run across the road and to his shelter before the “insurgents” arrive. They are in eye distance and time is limited. The man dropping his belongings runs across the street to collect the children. He picks up the little girl, takes the hand of the boy and starts running…They are close, very close.
Without warning, without reason (bang bang bang, dhoof dhoof dhoof) is heard. Shrill screams of pain and drops of blood of two innocent children touch the soil…the man lays unconscious. Soon, chaos breaks out in the dead street but nothing can be done about the pool of blood in which two young lives rest.
“16 people killed and 70 wounded in an insurgent attack”, reads across all the media. However, no mention is made of the injustice of these killings, rather an excuse for them. Does it not move you to know that while you laugh and play and while your baby brother or sister enjoys the taste of an ice-cream, two innocent young children have become victims of a brutal killing? Are you not angered to know that blood was spilt of two young children on their own soil?
You and I take for granted the luxury we have and too often forget the sufferings of the one’s who will share our future. These are children being killed. Children like you and I. One in every eight Iraqi children die before their 5th birthdays due to violence or related issues such as lack of food, clothes, shelter or family. (Point in essence)
Whether these killings are being carried out by insurgents, occupiers or freedom fighters the result remains unchanged in the end. Death after death, child after child. Why are the cries of these children not heard! Why are we sitting back and watching this happen. Our futures stand dented by the loss of these innocent lives.
Take a stand now! We are all, as children, part of this war, whether accept it or not and in time it will affect us all, sitting here in our safe, comfortable classrooms or in a war stricken Iraq. Fight against this TODAY, for every minute we waste, is another child’s blood in the soil.
By: Aamena Khota
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