THE barbaric killing of eight children, including a grandchild in Nampundwe calls for much more than sympathy for the victims and condemnation of the culprit.
Society needs to also know just what drives anyone into committing such a heinous crime.
The man, who killed his children and grandchild by burning them alive and took his life, too, was clearly evil in committing the crime. Such wickedness must have a background to it.
He surely just did not wake up that day and decided to take the lives of his children whom he must have been proud of for many years.
Something must have snapped in him and he lost logical thinking.
This is where psychologists come in. They need to help that Nampundwe community understand why anyone should get so mad as to plan and actually execute mass murder.
Zambia does not have a shortage of such experts who would dissect one’s reasoning and get to know why they do the unimaginable.
Such information is obviously too late for the eight children but you never know how useful it could be in preventing similar crimes.
For the culprit, this was an act of suicide. Psychologists know the signs that point to those likely to take their own lives and possibly the lives of others too.
These are the signs the general public need to know. For instance, it is generally known that those that suddenly tend to be withdrawn are suicide risks.
If more people know about this, they would take corrective measures. They would help the depressed person overcome his or her challenges and accept that they are more useful alive than lifeless.
Let this Nampundwe incident be a constant reminder to all of us that any member of our families or society is a potential threat to their own lives and to those of others.
Anyone can be driven to the edge of depression and rage. Let us guard against these extremes by being accommodative of each other, helpful and loving. Let’s also be observant of each other’s moods and learn to ask the pertinent questions that would get our friends and relatives talk about their problems.
The widow will need a lot of counselling for her to overcome this sudden loss of so many loved ones. She will need spiritual and physical support. Words alone will not be enough.
We do, however, sympathise with the families of the departed and pray that God consoles them.
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