3 December 2008
editorial
Johannesburg — DEPUTY President Baleka Mbete's assertion that the government can no longer afford to "sit and pontificate when faced with unacceptable levels of violent and organised crime" would be welcome if there was any indication that her words might be turned into meaningful action.
Unfortunately, the omens are not good. For all the fine sentiments that were expressed by state representatives at the crime summit called this week by newly appointed Safety and Security Minister Nathi Mthethwa, much of what was said amounted to pontification and statements of the obvious. It is all very well to talk of "improving service delivery" and "winning back the confidence of communities", but the words are meaningless without a coherent strategy -- and that demands a level of honest soul-searching that the African National Congress (ANC) has yet to display when it comes to crime, its causes and ways to reduce it.
The most efficient justice system and harshest punishments in the world are useless as deterrents if criminals know they are unlikely to be caught, yet ANC leaders continue to call for ever harsher penalties and demand that the rights of those accused of crimes be limited rather than making the hard but necessary calls that may cost them votes next year.
For all its criticism of former president Thabo Mbeki, the party's new leadership shows little sign of acting any more decisively to stamp out corruption at the highest level in the police. Nor is it falling over itself to reinstate suspended prosecutions chief Vusi Pikoli, although it is clear that he should never have been sidelined. And, it remains to be seen what effect the scrapping of the Scorpions specialist investigations unit will have on the spread of organised crime.
Taking one step forward for every two steps back is not going to win the war on crime, nor will mouthing populist sops win elections for much longer. Progress in the war on crime demands wholesale changes not only in attitude but also to the personnel who draw up the battle plan.
Be the first to Write a Comment!
Copyright © 2008 Business Day. All rights reserved. Distributed by AllAfrica Global Media (allAfrica.com). To contact the copyright holder directly for corrections — or for permission to republish or make other authorized use of this material, click here.
AllAfrica aggregates and indexes content from over 125 African news organizations, plus more than 200 other sources, who are responsible for their own reporting and views. Articles and commentaries that identify allAfrica.com as the publisher are produced or commissioned by AllAfrica.
