Kemerovo is a city in Siberia in Russia and it is where my wife grew up.  It has just had a tragic fire in a shopping mall where at least 64 people died but probably more (Russian authorities tend to cover up tragedies according to people quoted in the media).  It appears that the vast majority of children who died were not able to get out, trapped inside a burning inferno with all the fire doors and escape doors locked or closed.  Apparently, about 30 of them had the time to post messages on social media saying they may not get out or to phone relatives and tell them how much they love their parents, etc.  When you read things like that it absolutely breaks your heart and we get so many stories like this around the world these days like sub-standard factories where the employees are locked in (that is something that happened in South Africa) and buildings collapsing in India and in China.  

In China of course they have a very harsh approach to these matters and the people responsible are normally, after a quick trial, executed.  That certainly takes a more serious approach to building floors and violating safety regulations.  We may say that we are more civilised than that, but certainly I think one of the problems over the years is that people who violate these types of laws, who work in buildings and close doors for their own lazy reasons or for some or other dubious reason, invariably don’t get punished to the extent they should be.  I hope all of those involved in this tragedy, and certainly the main culprits, never gets out of jail again as long as they live.  The sentences need to be harsh.  To be locked inside a shopping centre, movie theatres or children’s playground and not able to get out when a fire occurs is absolutely criminal.  

One of the sadder things, when we think of how tragic this is, is how much space has been devoted in South African media to this story, which is a real tragedy compared to absolute nonsense between Australia and South Africa as to tampering with a cricket ball.  Is it really so much important to give such attention to the normal cheating in sport, which seems to happen in every sport, everyday, compared to the deaths of more than 64 people in Russia?  

Newspaper editors will tell us that they are only telling us what people in South Africa are interested in, but have people all around the world lost their humanity to such an extent that a local sporting drama involving a piece of sticky tape and a cricket ball deserves more attention than tragedies from which we can and should learn, that happen overseas?  Our factories, our working places, as we have seen with Tiger Brands, are scandalous killing machines, but we allow ourselves to be diverted by silly little stories that don’t have any importance.