SAPS deliberately botched Meyiwa case
TWO significant events have occurred recently. Firstly, South Africa won the World Rugby Cup in a well-deserved match and the heroic Springboks brought home the prized Gold Cup as the best rugby team in the world. Rugby, as a sport, united the nation perhaps as never before, taking into account that economically we are experiencing “our darkest hour”. Secondly, as a result of the international and domestic finance conference held this week, the nation has been informed that an amount of R363 billion has been pledged in investment.
Both these events should boost public confidence in the nation and lead to a renewed sense of optimism at a time that we have been experiencing an unprecedented mood of pessimism and negativity.
Although the government is making a very real effort to address a legion of problems inherited from the disastrous Zuma era of state capture, corruption and maladministration, very much more needs to be done to boost public morale and financial confidence in the economy, the country and its people. This requires an almost super-human effort to effect competent and efficient administration in the three spheres of government.
President Ramaphosa must take the people into his confidence and must be seen in both word and deed to be manifestly addressing all the maladies the country is at present encountering.
The government needs to be seen to be committed to the principles of the National Development Plan, rather than the National Democratic Revolution. The latter involves nationalisation and is in essence socialistic in character. Although South Africa is a country of infinite potential, it requires a partnership between the public and private sector to unlock its vast potential. The public also have a vital role to play in this regard by displaying a confidence in the country and its leadership.
Far too much pessimism prevails in the private sector and the population as a whole. A new and invigorated sense of confidence is essential in both the private sector and civil society. We need to return to the principles of the Mandela legacy.
Civil society and faith-based organisations need to be promoting a powerful moral regeneration and thereby bringing about greater social cohesion and a renewed attitude of care and compassion for the poor and the homelessness.
These are the inordinate challenges and need to be urgently addressed immediately. We dare not delay.
Professor emeritus at
UKZN
IT IS apparent the top echelons of the police, the National Prosecuting Authority, and probably politicians, have been bought off to deliberately botch the murder case of former Orlando Pirates and Bafana goalkeeper, Senzo Meyiwa.
After Senzo was murdered, the crime scene was probably secured and cordoned off. The police investigators should have conducted forensic tests to establish who fired the shot that killed Senzo Meyiwa among all the people who were there when Meyiwa was shot.
Ballistic tests should also have been conducted to establish the distance from which the shot was fired since this was not a stray bullet. Autopsy results should have indicated if the wound(s) on Senzo Meyiwa was/were consistent with the type of gun used.
Shamila Batohi, Bheki Cele and the national directorate of public prosecutions, have all these investigations been done and the results secured, and if not, why not?
A murder case such as that one should have been resolved in 48 hours since there were eyewitnesses.
We cannot live in a country where children of the wealthy and powerful, both Africans and whites, can go out and shoot and kill children of the poor and powerless, and thereafter, bribe police, prosecutors, politicians and judges.
Heads must roll.
Witpoortjie