A hero emerges
Many doubted the explosive claims of corruption in the country’s criminal justice system. KwaZulu-Natal police commissioner Lt Gen Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi made them last July. People also questioned his attire and the show of force by some of his team that day. Many of those doubters and the ones who ridiculed him publicly have since changed their tune. Nearly the entire nation now sees Mkhwanazi as a hero, and rightly so. He saved South Africa from the jaws of collapse and potential takeover by mafias or unscrupulous leaders.
The Madlanga commission
The Judicial Commission of Inquiry into Criminality, Political Interference and Corruption in the Criminal Justice System has laid bare the rot in powerful institutions. We have come to know it as the Madlanga Commission. Those criminals who hold positions of power can no longer hide. The Commission exposes them individually for who they really are. It is probably time for those the Commission has not yet implicated to come forward before it embarrasses them nationwide.
Revelations that stun
Some of the revelations at the Commission have disconcerted many. State Advocate Drushantha Ramsamy’s evidence more than three weeks ago proved especially telling and embarrassing. She tore apart the evidence of her former boss, Andrea Johnson. Johnson had earlier testified at the Commission. Ramsamy added that Johnson had “misled” the inquiry a serious charge of perjury on its own. The recorded conversation between the pair, which the hearing aired, proved the final straw for Johnson. He had appeared before Parliament’s Ad Hoc Committee on Gen Mkhwanazi’s Allegations in November last year. Needless to say, the committee wasted more taxpayers’ money.
Two inquiries, two outcomes
While the Madlanga Commission continues to deliver casualties, the Ad Hoc Committee found no wrongdoing by almost anyone. The Madlanga Commission has become a talking point across the nation. Most importantly, it has helped root out crime while promoting accountability.
Just leaders, prosperous nation
As a nation, we need leaders who are not afraid to stand up for what is just. We will have a prosperous nation only when we have just leaders. While no data backs this up, one senses that those in authority now use their powers more responsibly. Everyone in a position of power, especially in government, is probably exercising more caution at this stage. A sense of pride and confidence also runs through our men in blue and all other law enforcement agencies. This all bodes well for our country. Drivers in areas such as Khayelitsha and other townships would attest to this.
Law in action
For years, lawlessness reigned supreme in these areas with no punitive measures. The deployment of Neighbourhood Safety Officers (NSOs) into some of these communities is producing positive outcomes. They are very busy and visible in communities. They do not hesitate to dish out fines to those who violate traffic rules. Not a day goes by when I drive around Khayelitsha without seeing them conduct a roadblock. It is good to see law in action. It is good to see people face consequences for their transgressions. This is the only way we can get our country working again. Laws that bite promote responsibility and accountability.
