Fyodor Dostoevsky’s exploration of moral agency in “Crime and Punishment” remains one of the most unsettling explorations of the standards used to judge right and wrong in any society. Through the ages we have always asked ourselves, are all crimes immoral? When is a crime justifiable, if ever? Italy’s highest court of appeals waded into this legal-moral conundrum earlier this year when judges overturned a theft conviction against Roman Ostriakov, who stole cheese and sausages worth US$4,50 from a supermarket because he was hungry.
The court ruled that the destitute Ostriakov had faced an “immediate and essential need for nourishment, acting therefore in a state of necessity”.
A lower court had found him guilty of theft and sentenced him to six months in jail, but the appeals bench found that his stealing of food was not a crime. The Italian media roundly praised the judgment for recognising that the “right to survival prevails over property”, serving as a reminder “that in a civilised country not even the worst of men should starve”.
Last week, H-Metro reported an almost similar case. A 38-year-old man, Tapera Chingono was before the courts for allegedly stealing two buns worth US$1. The matter is still before the courts and it would not do for us to comment on it right now lest we be seen to be usurping the authority of the judiciary.
We just mention it in passing as a case of petty theft of food items, apparently done not for personal commercial gain. That said, his case is much different from that of Tinashe Hwenjera, a security guard who was last week sentenced to 13 months in jail for stealing six packs of cigarettes.
Yes, it might be argued that perhaps his nicotine craving called for an urgent fix. But how do you justify a craving for 120 cigarettes?
On the other hand, hungry people will steal a bit of sausages and cheese, or a couple of buns.
Not only that, they will kill if they have to. They can get so desperate as to sink to that level that Jean-Jacques Rousseau spoke of back in the 18th century when he said: “When the people shall have nothing more to eat, they will eat the rich.”
It sounds absurd, but perhaps it was just Rousseau dramatising how far the desperation spectrum could stretch. And it is a warning that all politicians, public office bearers and business owners must heed.
Command Agriculture is the kind of initiative that shows someone somewhere is seized with the issues that are keeping Zimbabweans awake at night.
The moral compass of those entrusted with positions of responsibility must be finely calibrated to sense the faintest pulse of mass discontent.
There is need for serious appreciation of the problems facing the general populace.
The bank queues that have refused to go away should be causing sleepless nights to both public and private sector managers.
The prices of goods and services remain divorced from the realities of people’s present earning power and this should be a matter of grave concern for the responsible authorities.
The matter of access to affordable and reliable medical services at health institutions is one that should make the political and business leadership worry whether or not the people are ready to eat the rich.
While the voters who will cast their ballots in 2018 are struggling, while the buyers who should be putting their money into business-owners’ pockets grumble about pricing, what are those in positions of authority doing?
Are they seized with answering everyday questions of survival posed by ordinary folk?
Or are they unwittingly nurturing resistance as people subconsciously respond to the unrestrained hedonism of the nouveau riche political elite and their politically naive business sector counterparts who drive by the bank queues in their SUVs without a change in heartbeat?
It is good that we are seeing Command Agriculture taking off. It is the kind of initiative that shows someone somewhere is seized with the issues that are keeping Zimbabweans awake at night. But the policy alone is not enough without commitment on the part of officials and farmers to proper implementation.
We do not need to hear about corruption in the allocation of resources on the part of public officials, and abuse of said resources on the part of farmers. It is also good that we have Statutory Instrument 64 of 2016. This shows someone somewhere is applying his or her mind to solving the problems this country faces.
But that policy alone is not enough to end the challenges. As we have reported before, the Confederation of Zimbabwe industries advises wider and deeper investment in value chains.
Overall, it is of paramount importance for the public and private sector apply themselves fully to addressing the issues concerning Zimbabweans, if not for the citizens then for the sake of their continued stay in office and in business — lest the poor start to eat them.
EDITORIAL COMMENT: The people will eat the rich
The Sunday Mail
Fyodor Dostoevsky’s exploration of moral agency in “Crime and Punishment” remains one of the most unsettling explorations of the standards used to judge right and wrong in any society. Through the ages we have always asked ourselves, are all crimes immoral? When is a crime justifiable, if ever? Italy’s highest court of appeals waded into this legal-moral conundrum earlier this year when judges overturned a theft conviction against Roman Ostriakov, who stole cheese and sausages worth US$4,50 from a supermarket because he was hungry.
The court ruled that the destitute Ostriakov had faced an “immediate and essential need for nourishment, acting therefore in a state of necessity”.
A lower court had found him guilty of theft and sentenced him to six months in jail, but the appeals bench found that his stealing of food was not a crime. The Italian media roundly praised the judgment for recognising that the “right to survival prevails over property”, serving as a reminder “that in a civilised country not even the worst of men should starve”.
Last week, H-Metro reported an almost similar case. A 38-year-old man, Tapera Chingono was before the courts for allegedly stealing two buns worth US$1. The matter is still before the courts and it would not do for us to comment on it right now lest we be seen to be usurping the authority of the judiciary.
We just mention it in passing as a case of petty theft of food items, apparently done not for personal commercial gain. That said, his case is much different from that of Tinashe Hwenjera, a security guard who was last week sentenced to 13 months in jail for stealing six packs of cigarettes.
Yes, it might be argued that perhaps his nicotine craving called for an urgent fix. But how do you justify a craving for 120 cigarettes?
On the other hand, hungry people will steal a bit of sausages and cheese, or a couple of buns.
Not only that, they will kill if they have to. They can get so desperate as to sink to that level that Jean-Jacques Rousseau spoke of back in the 18th century when he said: “When the people shall have nothing more to eat, they will eat the rich.”
It sounds absurd, but perhaps it was just Rousseau dramatising how far the desperation spectrum could stretch. And it is a warning that all politicians, public office bearers and business owners must heed.
Command Agriculture is the kind of initiative that shows someone somewhere is seized with the issues that are keeping Zimbabweans awake at night.The moral compass of those entrusted with positions of responsibility must be finely calibrated to sense the faintest pulse of mass discontent.
There is need for serious appreciation of the problems facing the general populace.
The bank queues that have refused to go away should be causing sleepless nights to both public and private sector managers.
The prices of goods and services remain divorced from the realities of people’s present earning power and this should be a matter of grave concern for the responsible authorities.
The matter of access to affordable and reliable medical services at health institutions is one that should make the political and business leadership worry whether or not the people are ready to eat the rich.
While the voters who will cast their ballots in 2018 are struggling, while the buyers who should be putting their money into business-owners’ pockets grumble about pricing, what are those in positions of authority doing?
Are they seized with answering everyday questions of survival posed by ordinary folk?
Or are they unwittingly nurturing resistance as people subconsciously respond to the unrestrained hedonism of the nouveau riche political elite and their politically naive business sector counterparts who drive by the bank queues in their SUVs without a change in heartbeat?
It is good that we are seeing Command Agriculture taking off. It is the kind of initiative that shows someone somewhere is seized with the issues that are keeping Zimbabweans awake at night. But the policy alone is not enough without commitment on the part of officials and farmers to proper implementation.
We do not need to hear about corruption in the allocation of resources on the part of public officials, and abuse of said resources on the part of farmers. It is also good that we have Statutory Instrument 64 of 2016. This shows someone somewhere is applying his or her mind to solving the problems this country faces.
But that policy alone is not enough to end the challenges. As we have reported before, the Confederation of Zimbabwe industries advises wider and deeper investment in value chains.
Overall, it is of paramount importance for the public and private sector apply themselves fully to addressing the issues concerning Zimbabweans, if not for the citizens then for the sake of their continued stay in office and in business — lest the poor start to eat them.
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