If South African Navy chief Johannes Refiloe Mudimu has suggested that he will not pay allegiance to our commander in chief, President Jacob Zuma, then the submarine that has been put on bricks must be taken out of mothballs, the gentleman placed therein and immediately sunk without a trace.
I must in all fairness point out that currently this is an unsubstantiated media claim according to the navy chief which does not, however, preclude us from weighing up what to do with members of our military who refuse to obey their senior officers never mind the president of our country.
If Judge Hlophe has allegedly committed the cardinal sin of any judge then Mudimu has purportedly done the same in respect of the military. The quickest way to achieve a breakdown of command is to allow members of the service to believe they can question appointments or orders.
It is unthinkable.
Any soldier or sailor will tell you about a non-commissioned officer or officer that they served under who they believed at the time was the biggest wanker ever placed on God’s green earth. A five knuckle shuffler who had about as much right to give orders as Jeff Dahmer had to lecture on human rights.
Notwithstanding they were required to recognise the rank not the person. Accept that the orders were flowing down from above and unless they were seriously — and I mean death-defyingly seriously — misguided, to be followed immediately and without question.
To allow anything else would be to create a military without an effective command structure.
If, and I say if, Mudimu has claimed that he will not give Zuma his allegiance based on whatever reasoning then he has no place being in the navy.
Firstly he swears allegiance to the country and the flag which means accepting whomsoever is chosen by the electorate to lead it. Like it or not.
Secondly if someone in his position can question appointments why can’t the rest of the military personnel? It will result in bedlam if you can ever get our lot out of bed and home after their latest strikes.
Thirdly it undermines the whole theory of respecting the rank and obeying orders without question and the Lord knows our lot are not great at that at the best of time. Ask their dietician coach.
Accordingly if it is an unsubstantiated media claim, then best it be followed up forthwith and the record be put straight.
You definitely don’t want to leave it hanging in the air.
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