‘His crimes overshadow the rest of his life’

“Jackie Selebi was a giant and leader of our people. Comrade Selebi has been a longstanding member of the African National Congress and the ANCYL. As we close the chapter of his life, we are opening the chapter of his legacy which will inspire generations to come to serve this nation with loyalty and steadfastness.” our people in South Africa. He will forever be remembered for his selfless and unassuming character.” “He will be remembered for the two different parts he played in South Africa. Firstly, he played a major role as an inspirational freedom fighter, shaping the history of our country, and willing to put his life on the line in our liberation struggle. Later however, he undid all the good work he had done when he was found guilty of accepting bribes from disreputable criminals. But Selebi's positive contributions should never be forgotten.” “Whilst it is a welldocumented fact that Selebi left the SAPS under a dark cloud, Sapu as a human organisation would like to remind others that to judge is not for us. We would also like to acknowledge not only his role in the fight against oppression, but his leadership skills that were acknowledged worldwide. The union could not hide the fact that he made costly mistakes.” death. Despite the issues that led to his unceremonious departure from office as the country’s police commissioner, some of his deeds as head of the SAPS led to the effective execution of excellent policing nationally.” “I think we should acknowledge the contribution that he has made to our struggle for liberation and learn from the mistakes that he made that led to his arrest and conviction for fraud.” “It was inevitable that his crimes would overshadow the rest of his life. He corrupted his own legacy, and I think he’ll be remembered for what he did, not the good things. Unfortunately in the human race people are remembered for the bad things they do. I can’t imagine for the life of me that any of the many victims of crime in South Africa are jumping up and down with joy, but on the other side of the coin he was handed a great opportunity to help our country move forward, and he failed in that duty.”