Share

Your child is my child: What Franziska's death must teach us

accreditation
Credit: iStock
Credit: iStock

As a parent, I don't believe any conceivable punishment, be it life imprisonment or the death penalty given to my child's rapist and murderer will support my healing from such an enormous loss. 

Read more: Men who blame women for getting murdered are trash

Hearing and reading comments about the accused, Howard Oliver, being a miscreant, a sub-human or a piece of dirt will also not offer Franziska Blöchliger's inconsolable loved ones peace or comfort.

He has been found guilty which implies the justice system is working, for now. We are all equal as human beings but the people who spew more hate through their words and thinking do no good for our wounded country. 

The accused must be held accountable for his malicious actions. Maybe he will repent for them, maybe he won’t, but that is the journey he chose for himself.

It is strange for a normal person to inflict this gruesome level of horror on an innocent teenager. We need to focus on how we can prevent more Howard Olivers’ from existing in this world. My wish is that Franziska's life and death will bring us closer as people in her honour and in her memory. 

How are empathy, compassion, love and kindness so often replaced with hardness, brutality and an indifference to life and death? It is also important to realise that Oliver does not represent his whole neighbourhood. Since Franziska’s murder, I have started building relationships with families, groups, and individuals in Westlake. 

These families are incredibly hardworking and their typical socioeconomic conditions are as worrying to the people who live there as it is to most of us. Some of them live there unwillingly so understanding what is really happening in their community is vital to get a grip of how children can be protected, criminals isolated and victims and their families supported. 

The solutions for the social problems are mostly already available in the communities themselves. There is so much value in ordinary people building bridges between their surrounding areas.

The difference between what we believe and the reality we come to realise is often surprising and very educative. We have to be open to understanding. The majority of Westlake’s residents are horrified about what happened to Franziska. 

We need to be coachable and steer clear from blaming, judging and shaming others. We must inform ourselves about all the victims in this crime. Franziska's nonsensical death that caused a young girl to lose her sister and a mother and father to lose their eldest child was a grave injustice. 

Howard Oliver has also damaged the lives of his own family, his wife and their two young children. Every three days a similar crime occurs in South Africa.

We must do something.

May we find ourselves reaching to others to create an environment of 'your child is my child' while all the children are alive, not just after they've passed on. 

Disclaimer: The views of columnists published on W24 are their own and therefore do not necessarily represent the views of W24.

We live in a world where facts and fiction get blurred
Who we choose to trust can have a profound impact on our lives. Join thousands of devoted South Africans who look to News24 to bring them news they can trust every day. As we celebrate 25 years, become a News24 subscriber as we strive to keep you informed, inspired and empowered.
Join News24 today
heading
description
username
Show Comments ()
Editorial feedback and complaints

Contact the public editor with feedback for our journalists, complaints, queries or suggestions about articles on News24.

LEARN MORE