It is time for our crime busters to step down
South Africa has once again entered silly season with the release by the South African Police Services (SAPS) of the latest crime statistics. Keen not to disappoint, South Africa's criminals managed another stellar year, smashing the average citizen deepe
Crime is not something we enjoy writing about. However, it is now so deeply entrenched in the national psyche we can hardly avoid it. There are two developments around the latest crime statistics that really frighten us. The first is the increase in violent crime and the alarming hike in murders related to housebreaking. And the second is the absolute banality of the responses of the public figures entrusted with sorting out the mess.
Minister of Safety and Security, Charles Nqakula and National Police Commissioner, Jackie Selebi, should be ashamed of the arrogant nature of their public responses at various press conferences recently.
The Laurel and Hardy of international policing
The 'Laurel and Hardy' of crime fighting mock attempts by opposition parties, the media and the general public to illicit sensible responses to important questions. Selebi's gem response to why crime was higher in Garsfontein than in Attridgeville was "This is because there is no social cohesion there, and people don't know each other because everybody is new."
More worrying was Nqakula's ridiculous posturing around the 2010 Soccer World Cup. Pressed into responding to the crime threat to tourists attending this global showcase, he offered: "If there is a major threat against this tournament, tell us, we want to deal with it. Is there going to be a bomb that is going to go off at the stadium?" It gets worse! South Africans living under the current tidal wave of crime will be happy to know that Nqakula is not losing any sleep "with 2010 over his forehead." And tourists will sleep just as easy knowing that Nqakula "knows where people are going to stay, what routes they are going to take and which stadiums they are going to go to."
What a fantastic notion. Right now, despite it being common knowledge that international tourists go up and down Table Mountain, we still hear about tourist muggings on a regular basis. Do Selebi and Nqakula really believe that 390, 000 soccer tourists will simply come to South Africa, hide in their hotels and only travel between hotel, airport and soccer venue?
It beggars belief that government is not prepared to deal with poor performances from its high ranking officials. The reward for party loyalty and years of liberation activism is a work environment devoid of performance criteria and a bureaucracy unwilling to take punitive steps against ineptitude.
Holding political office is not meant as an outlet for personal power and pride. Instead, these positions require humble and competent individuals who are dedicated to public services for the betterment of all the people in the country. Nqakula and Selebi have to accept responsibility for public safety, and if they cannot, they should do the honourable thing and step down.
Adding colonial oppression to the Apartheid copout
What worries us even more is the reluctance for any senior government official to accept accountability for his department's poor performances. How often are we forced to hear about the massive Apartheid legacy being impossible to correct in just fourteen years. And when that is not enough, senior officials add the phrase "and three hundred years of colonial abuse" as a sweetener to their list of excuses.
There are holes in the current system of social redistribution and governance which are big enough to drive tankers through. It is time for government to wake up and realise that these are not legacies of Apartheid but rather holes in the fabric that the ruling party is using to build its new South Africa. They are holes caused by nepotism and a frightening lack of morality. This is what you get when you turn a blind eye to corruption, crime and continue to reward mediocre performance.
An old parable reads: "A stitch in time saves nine." It simply means that keeping something well maintained saves unnecessary effort in the long run. Taking action today will ensure a better result than if things are left as they are. We have two individuals whose arrogance in the face of poor results has endured for far too long. It might be time for government to place that much needed stitch in South Africa's fabric. The area of public safety and security would be a very good place to start.
Editor's thoughts:
This article on the latest crime statistics has not even touched on a number of serious incidents. Recently Nqakula secured infamy with his suggestion that whinging whites leave the country if they could not handle crime. And Selebi still has the whole Agliotti saga hanging over his head. Is it time for Selebi and Nqakula to go? Send your comments to [email protected]
