”My son’s death is not any more special than anyone else’s,” says Lynne Vince-Jillings. She is just one of the thousands of South Africans to have lost a child at the hands of criminals.
Six months ago her 20-year-old son Ivanne was hijacked by six men and shot in the back of the head, despite handing over his valuables.
What has made Ivanne’s death different is that it forced his mother to channel her pain and anger into a campaign that encourages the public to take a pro-active stance against crime.
The trauma of the crime and her callous treatment by the South African Police Service (SAPS) during the investigation saw her form the Alive campaign.
Vince-Jillings believes that the SAPS show total disregard for the rights of crime victims and their families. Her elder son, Matthau, was forced to drive Ivanne’s blood-spattered car back from Alexandra where it had been abandoned.
When she phoned the investigating officer to request information on the status of the case she was rudely told, ”I can’t tell you, I didn’t shoot him.”
The difference between Alive and other anti-crime organisations is that Alive does not focus on retribution.
”My son Ivanne was an incredible, loving, young boy. He had no prejudice and was empathetic and compassionate about his fellow South Africans.”
Because of Ivanne’s approach to life she says she never thought about revenge.
”The old idea of an eye for an eye is ludicrous,” says Vince-Jillings.
Alive does not seek to bring back the death penalty. Instead it ”resolves to stop violence peacefully”.
She says that the public needs to acknowledge that the death penalty has been abolished by the Constitution and this cannot be changed.
Instead, she says, people should ”face reality and be pro-active in trying to change violence in society”. She believes the best way she can do this is to ensure that her son’s death does not remain ”an unresolved statistic”.
The success of the campaign is driven by the anger of thousands of South Africans who have a desire for justice and who refuse to stand by and do nothing.
”We live in a country under siege from crime, and Alive is a cathartic way to deal with the pain” of bereavement, Vince-Jillings says.
On November 30 last year, thousands of people took part in Alive’s March against Violent Crime in the Johannesburg city centre. The march was intended to raise awareness of violent crime and called for an overhaul of the criminal justice system.
While her activism was initially personal it has touched a chord with thousands of ordinary South Africans. She has received thousands of calls from similarly bereaved people.
She has been contacted by Rose Mtimkulu of Soweto, who has also lost her son in an incident of senseless violence.
Mtimkulu says her son was a source of strength for her after she divorced his father.
”He was everything to me, I was so strong because of the words he gave me, and he used to praise me every day.”
Siphiwe Mtimkulu (19) was shot three years ago in Dobsonville by a man who was known to the family.
”Siphiwe was sitting with his friends when the man approached and shot him. He stood up to ask the gunman why, and then he collapsed.”
The killer sought refuge in the police station after enraged residents tried to stone him. When Mtimkulu asked why he had killed her son, he replied: ”I’m sorry, it was a mistake.”
The greatest tragedy for Mtimkulu is that while the suspect was out on bail he was arrested again on a charge of family violence, but the docket for Siphiwe’s murder was apparently lost and the suspect walked free.
”He’s out forever — the prosecutor said the case wasn’t strong enough.”
Mtimkulu is one of the many mothers who have joined the Alive campaign. Vince-Jillings says that the campaign transcends boundaries of race and ethnicity.
”Criminals don’t stop and ask what colour you are, what creed, what religion. They don’t differentiate.”
The campaign aims to create a safer environment for South Africans through protest. It intends to raise awareness, create programmes that will support victims and educate offenders and lobby for increased policing and a more effective criminal justice system.