The Monday Cane — performative justice that prioritises retribution over protection

South Africa's cycle of violence demonstrates the shortcomings of retribution-driven punishment in protecting citizens and discouraging violence. When retribution becomes the most visible response, justice risks becoming a mere performance rather than a system designed to safeguard individuals. Themba Dlamini, a husband, father, pastor, and accountant, laments this reality in his memoir, Village Boy.

Punishment enacted after a tragedy is not justice; it amounts to mere ceremony. This insight was instilled in us at school, and it forms the foundation of our society. Peggy-Sue, a well-known figure who visited Alston Primary School, serves as an example of the pomp and circumstance surrounding punishment. The whistle, the crack of the cane, and the subsequent sting were all part of the show.

At Alston Primary, the cane, known as Peggy-Sue Khumalo, carried a reputation and a following. One day, when the teacher was absent, a netball replaced the cane in the teacher's drawer, and the boys decided to play soccer with it instead. The metaphorical netball became a netball no longer.

On Mondays, Peggy-Sue was waiting. The boys lined up, and the whistle's whistle echoed through the line, delivering punishment both audibly and physically. The school's ledger was balanced – discipline had been carried out. However, the institution had failed to prevent the incident in the first place.

South Africa is a "Monday-cane country," where bodies of victims are found one at a time, and the police struggle to establish connections between the deaths. The investigation now must answer whether the deaths are connected and what could have been done sooner to prevent them. The task force is convened, lockdowns are promised, rewards are announced, and the cane is brought out with ceremony on Mondays.

The anatomy of the Monday cane consists of three parts: absence, opportunity, and ceremony. The absence refers to the lack of visible protection provided by authorities such as police, functioning courts, and detectives. The opportunity arises when this absence exists, allowing individuals to harm others. Finally, the ceremony involves the punishment as a performance, arriving after the fact.

While Dlamini does not argue for a smaller cane, he questions what should have happened before the first victim. In many cases, the pattern of protection orders being granted and ignored, stalled dockets, and delayed court dates repeats itself in the legal system. The issue remains unsolved, and the question remains: what existed between one shooting and the next, and how can we focus on prevention rather than punishment?