My friend, Werner Buchner, was shot and killed for two cell phones and some cash. His wife, my dear friend, Estelle, broke both her arms in the struggle and remains hospitalized. Their son, Werner Jnr, is recovering after surgery and is in stable condition.
Two cell phones and some cash.
I am in shock. Louis and Werner went to University together. We have known them for more than 30 years. Parties. Weddings. Braais. Louis I visited Boslaagte whenever we made the trip back to South Africa, although we didn’t this last time. This last time, we didn’t manage to swing it, and we didn’t know it would be the last time. The last time to see Werner (55). R.I.P., boet.
Two cell phones and some cash.
How can this be? But this is what civil society on its last legs is: death, unnecessary, untimely, uninvited death. This is what society without laws and with envy, envy, envy at its heart delivers. When you teach people what is yours is theirs, because it’s “unfair” when someone else has more, this is where you ultimately end up.
When Americans ask me about what is happening in South Africa, I usually say things like: They’re trying but… Well, it has rolling blackout on a daily basis now. Well, it has 6 of the 20 most dangerous cities in the world now. Well, it has more than 30% unemployment now. Well, it has rioting and looting and lawlessness now. Well, it has farm murders, and it has people on tellie saying, “Kill the settler, kill the boere [farmers], one bullet, one settler.”
Werner was a farmer.
Werner was a father.
Werner was a husband.
Werner was a friend.
Werner was a good, God-fearing, DECENT man.
This malaise, this disease of socialism, tribalism, racism, this never-ending manipulation of the minds of the malleable must end. This spreading of the lies that property rights don’t matter and what is not yours, can be, without any effort, just for the taking, must end. This devolving of the world into darkness and lawlessness must end. This disregard for the lives of our fellow humans must end. This lie that you can live at the expense of others must end. This senseless, baseless killing must end.
But it didn’t end soon enough for my friend. Cry, the beloved country. Today, I cry with you.