‘Natalie battled to get police to help until they realised who she was’
When Natalie Maimane tried to report a stolen handbag to the police late in 2018‚ she was sent from pillar to post – until one officer realised she was married to the leader of the opposition in parliament.
DA leader Mmusi Maimane revealed that the police at a Cape Town police station only took action when an officer saw his wife’s identity document‚ which linked her to him.
“She went from police station to police station and noone could help her.
“The question was typified by [officers] saying: ‘Do you actually want us to investigate or do you want a case number?’”
He said as Natalie became an irritation to the police‚ an officer asked for her ID to see what he could do.
“He looked at the ID and said: ‘Hawu! Maimane! Are you married to that Maimane from the DA?’”
It was only then that the police began to work on the case‚ he said.
“I laugh about it‚ but it is an injustice of our country.
“No-one should get services in this country because of political connections or because they know someone.”
Maimane was addressing the Cape Town Press Club about the DA’s plans should it become governing party.
He lamented‚ among other things‚ unprofessional service ordinary South Africans were getting from the police.
The DA wants the government to decentralise policing and give provinces real power in crime-fighting.
Turning to the elections‚ Maimane sought to demystify a belief that a Cyril Ramaphosaled ANC and government would be better than under Jacob Zuma.
He warned that a vote for Ramaphosa was a vote for the ANC‚ and essentially a vote for the status quo‚ which he called a bag of rotten potatoes.
A number of polls over the past year have shown Ramaphosa to be popular with South Africans of voting age‚ and even more popular than the party he leads.
“I have no problem with President Cyril Ramaphosa‚ but all I know is that government is run by systems and not individuals.
“If you get a fresh bag of potatoes and you have [already] got a bag of potatoes that are rotten‚ it doesn’t matter how many fresh potatoes you put in . . . the consequences are the same‚ which means the whole bag remains rotten‚” Maimane said.
“If you vote for Cyril‚ you will get the ANC.”
Though Maimane would not say which political party the DA would work with in the event there was no outright winner at the polls‚ he reiterated that coalition governments were the future in SA.
He hoped the ANC would split and that some of its members who wanted expropriation of land without compensation would work with the EFF and those who‚ like the DA‚ believed in a marketbased economy would work with his party.