Columnist urges South Africa to reflect on the roots of crime — TimesLIVE

In South Africa, columnist Gontse Madumo urged society to reflect on how childhood conditions, violence, poverty and a lack of opportunities can affect people's behavior in adulthood. In a column for TimesLIVE, she stressed that responsibility for crimes does not disappear, but it should not be considered only from the point of punishment.

The impact of the environment on a child

According to the author, children are influenced by parents, families, communities, schools, churches, culture and society. They shape perceptions of morality, authority, respect, love, success, fear and ways of survival. Madumo notes that the circumstances of one's birth in South Africa can significantly determine a person's life path: where they live affects the quality of education, exposure to violence and access to opportunities.

The author cautions that poverty in itself does not make a person a criminal, as millions of South Africans live in poverty and do not commit crimes. At the same time, in her view, when legitimate paths to safety, dignity and economic mobility appear unattainable, people may be more vulnerable to destructive alternatives.

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Responsibility and violence

Madumo also raises the issue of physical punishment of children. She believes that beatings described as discipline may convey to a child the idea that violence is acceptable as a way to resolve conflicts or coerce someone weaker. Children, the columnist writes, do not only listen to adults but also observe their actions.

She stressed that people who rape, kill or steal must be held accountable for their actions, and victims deserve justice. At the same time, the author urged people to ask a broader question: what society taught these people, what they saw, what violence became normal for them, and what they lacked in childhood.