EXTRACTS from a thought -provoking open letter from Helen Zille,Cape Premier:
Where, in any democracy in the world, can a handful of protestors close down a major urban highway, day after day, without facing arrest? Or, with impunity, blockade an airport; strew faeces in public places and hurl toilet tanks into oncoming traffic?
Where in any democracy can five “protestors” invite the media to watch them hijack a truck and force the driver to “jack-knife” across a highway, without any consequences?
The answer is the Western Cape, the only province in South Africa where the ANC lost a free and fair election.
ANC office bearers openly and regularly announce their intention of “liberating” the province. They have an official name for this project. It is called “Operation Reclaim”.
This is ironic, not only because the Western Cape government was elected by a majority of its voters, but because according to all official statistics, the poor get much better services in the Western Cape than in any ANC-run province.
In any other constitutional democracy, a person inciting others to violent rebellion against a democratically elected government would be charged with sedition.
But not where the ANC loses elections. Here, seditionists announce their intentions publicly, claim responsibility for the ensuing anarchy, and hold media conferences at the scene of their crimes, as the police look on. Our seditionists are members, office bearers and public representatives of a party whose leaders turn a blind eye to criminality directed against their political opponents.
I have had no response to letters sent to President Zuma asking him to condemn the “task team’s” actions. So I can only presume he condones them. No wonder they act with impunity.
Arrests have been few and far between. Once, a group was arrested carrying blue faeces-filled refuse bags on a train to Cape Town. When the police stopped them, the group argued that they could do what they liked with their own faeces.
On another occasion the ringleaders were arrested after dumping the contents of stolen portable flush toilet tanks at Cape Town international airport.
Last week, during the course of two encounters – one with the Minister of Police, Nathi Mthethwa; and the other with National Police Commissioner Riah Phiyega, I found that both displayed complete ignorance of their policing mandate.
Both argued that if violent protestors had genuine grievances, there was no point arresting them because they would simply return the next day.
But maybe they are just following the official “line”, emanating from Minister Mthethwa and General Phiyega, who have rejected “oversight” of the police as required in the constitution and the Police Act.
As General Phiyega herself said in a Parliamentary portfolio committee this week: Community Police Forums are “impimpis” who “spy” on police performing their functions.
Minister Mthethwa has taken the Provincial Government to the highest court in the land to prevent us from undertaking “oversight” (which is the only power provinces have over policing).
But, then again, Minister Mthethwa and General Phiyega are only following the lead of the man at the very top, colloquially known as “Number 1”. After all, he has abused taxpayers’ money for years to circumvent the law in his attempts to ensure that he never has to answer 700 charges against him.
On the ground, apart from the POPs special unit, it is primarily the Metropolitan Police, under the control of the City of Cape Town, that are containing the “ungovernability” brigade. No wonder Minister Mthethwa wants to disband them – and incorporate them into the SAPS.
So, the ANC are bad losers and Struwwelpeter wonders what they will think up if (when?) they do badly in next year’s election?
* * *
And while we are on the subject. Two Crocodiles were sitting by the side of the swamp near the river.
The smaller one turned to the bigger one and said, “I can’t understand how you can be so much bigger than me. We’re the same age. We were the same size as kids. I just don’t get it.”
“Well,” said the big croc, “what have you been eating?”
“Politicians, same as you,” replied the small croc.
“Hmm. Well, where do you catch them?”
“Down the other side of the swamp near the parking lot by the parliament buildings.”
“Same here. Hmm. How do you catch them?”
“Well, I crawl up under one of their cars and wait for one to unlock the car door. Then I jump out, grab them by the leg, shake the sh*t out of them and eat them!”
“Ah!” says the big crocodile, “I think I see your problem. You’re not getting any real nourishment. See, by the time you finish shaking the sh*t out of a politician, there’s nothing left but an asshole and a briefcase.”
