I could not resist drawing the attention of readers to a few items of news that hit the long-suffering South African public today.
The first item was a report on a Parliamentary Committee Hearing on the total lack of administrative capability in the South African Police Services. This 'organisation' (if it can be called organised in any context!) was unable to inform the Committee on the extent of the Police properties, whether they were owned or leased (the lease rental bill amounts to about R1 000 000 000 per year!). The excuse was that the disorder was the result of poor administration by a previous management! One wonders wheteher that excuse can be classified as a legal precedent, entitling any Accused in a trial to be set free! Surely this situation is an excellent reason to fire the Minister of Police, who, in any sane democracy, would bear the ultimate responsibility for such a state of affairs, and the Commissioner of Police, the CEO of this State disaster!
The second item is the reason given by the State President for not disclosing the reasons for the withdrawal of the criminal charges of corruption, that were brought against him before he was elected State President. His argument was that disclosing these reasons, and the tapes on which they were based, would possibly disclose information that would damage the world situation of the country! The State President is the Head of State, the man responsible for the correct, efficient and honest management of the organs of Government. He has been under a cloud of suspicion since his election, the result, largely, of the unexplained withdrawal of these charges. This suspicion has been exacerbated by the very high level of inefficiency and corruption of his Government, and the persistent reports of favours being granted to friends and family members. Surely the Head of State in an economy that, since the onset of Majority rule, has been sliding ever deeper into the Colombian/Russian condition of rule by organised crime, has an obligation to dispel any credible rumour of criminality and corruption on his part. If he is unwilling to do so, and, to the contrary, is seen to be promoting the Secrecy Bill which, one can only presume, will be used to suppress the dissemination of any infoirmation regarding his own Government members' corruption, the only alternative is to step aside.
Conversations with ordinary Black people over the past months have revealed a very disquieting view by them that the only way they can get the services that they believe they are entitled to will be by violent demonstrations, with many believing that violence is the only way to go. Some particularly thoughtful members of that community are starting to express a concern that the 'demonstrations' will develop in the not too distant future into full-scale riots!
These concerns are highlighted by the ongoing blockage of roads (including the main road from White River to the Numbi gate of the Kruger National Park, a road extensively used by tourists) with burning tyres, tree branches and building rubble, by the violent riots of students at niversities (when have you ever heard of a need for a University to obtain a Court Order preventing demonstrators from destropying niversity property? I always believed that the destruction of property belonging to another was a crime, that would be prevented by the Police without the need for a separate Court Order! See my comment above.), and by the apparent inability of several Provinces to run their own affairs. In this regard, the central Government has had to step in to take over the management of numerous Provincial Departments - one wonders whether they will do any better! - and yet the Eastern Cape Premier appears to be unable within two years to reply to an offer to provide assistance. But then, a notable reply by a senior official in the Eastern Cape Provincial Government, to a statement that the unemployment situation in that Province was a serious problem, was that unemployment was, at that time, "only 69%!" That's right! Only 69%!
