Spotted ... A pig

The majority of South Africans consider themselves to be law-abiding citizens but sometimes one has to wonder what their definition of a crime is.

Do we believe that crime is only something major, such as rape, murder or fraud? Or do we understand the concept that a crime is anything that is done in contravention of a statute prohibiting that particular act?

If we look at crime in the narrowest sense of the definition I think we will find that every single one of us has committed crime to a greater or lesser degree: Littering; taking stationery home from work and never returning it; slandering others when we sit around gossiping; drinking in public places or whilst we are driving (and I literally mean the steering wheel in one hand and the booze in the other); speeding; parking illegally; plastering posters on streetlight poles, using our cell phones whilst driving. The list of ‘petty’ crimes is endless but, no matter how we might like to whitewash them, they do remain ‘crimes’ in the true sense of the word.

So, now that I’ve established that there is probably no one, other than suckling babes, who hasn’t committed some sort of crime, I ask the question: Is it a crime to warn others, en masse, about roadblocks or speed traps as does PigSpotter? His lawyer seems to think not.

I can recall the drivers of cars on the road flashing their headlights to warn oncoming traffic of a speed trap or roadblock ahead throughout my life. Hell, I’ve even done it on occasion. My understanding then, and now, is that this was an illegal act. What is the difference between that and posting warnings of roadblocks and speed traps to a social networking site?

It is human nature to want to get the better of authority, and authority figures, from time to time. But there are legal ways to do it.

I pose the question: How would PigSpotter, and his/her thousands of followers feel, if criminals who had just raped or murdered one of their loved ones used those postings to bypass any law enforcement agencies out on the roads? How would they feel if a speedster wiped their entire family out in one horrific accident? How would they feel if someone they loved had been car-jacked and forced into the boot of a car and the one thing that could have saved them was that speed trap or roadblock but the criminals, forewarned, took measures to avoid it? How would they feel?

I’m just asking what I believe are valid questions in a country where rapes, murders, car-jackings and speed-related accidents have become something of a national sport.

PigSpotter, whoever and wherever you are, you are totally naïve if you believe that only law-abiding citizens follow your postings. Your most avid followers are probably criminals. Does that make you feel proudly South African?


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