“Among other things, the vision, principles and values of the ANC teach the cadres of this movement life-long lessons that inform us that, wherever we are and whatever we do, we should ensure that our actions contribute to the attainment of a free and just society, the upliftment of all our people and the development of a South Africa that belongs to all who live in it.
“Indeed, the work we have done in pursuit of the vision and principles of our liberation movement has at all times been based on the age-old values of Ubuntu, of selflessness, sacrifice and service in a manner that ensures that the interests of the people take precedence over our desires as individuals.” (Former president Thabo Mbeki 21/9/08 from his resignation speech)
In the midst of the festive season, with the number of traffic fatalities climbing by the hour and with the usual admonitions from the authorities about driving safely, is it not an apposite time to look at the behaviour of the authorities themselves — particularly in the context of service delivery and ubuntu — as articulated by former president Thabo Mbeki in his farewell speech in September?
In April 2007, a motorist uses his cellphone in KwaZulu-Natal to film African National Congress (ANC) KZN Premier Sbu Ndebele’s blue light brigade endangering other road users by travelling at 160kph in heavy traffic on the N3 and alerts local newspaper, the Natal Witness.
KZN transport MEC, Bheki Cele, justifies the speeding on the grounds that Ndebele was late for a function. He demands that the newspaper release the name of the whistle blower in order that he, Cele, can take action against him. As a result of this he releases the following statement: “He (the whistle blower) is a self-made, arrogant, non-accountable individual who purports to be a good citizen and I will dare to argue that he is also a racist.” Questioning the motives of one of South Africa’s oldest newspapers, he accused it of publishing the story at the behest of its “political masters”.
Clearly the KZN MEC has forgotten that he, of all people, should know that crime in South Africa is out of control and the very least the public expect from people in authority is that they set the example. What they do not accept, or tolerate, is that the person charged with ensuring that law and order is maintained show total disregard for it’s implementation and furnish grounds of justification, which have no basis in law. If he was late for a function where does that leave him in terms of breaking the law? As for “racism” and “lack of accountability”, Cele seems to be the master of both.
Notwithstanding, a few months later the clearly racist Cele, when confronted with another wholly unacceptable outrage from the blue light brigade, decides to trot out the inappropriate “racism” defence again. This unfortunately is not a defence in law. On this occasion KZN resident Mike Allison was killed when a car in an ANC blue light convoy smashed into his bakkie at high speed.
The following is taken from a transcript of the interview Carte Blanche conducted with his bereaved family in their July broadcast on blue light brigade abuses:
“Tina Allison: ‘I noticed the paramedics working on the body and I just recognised the man that was being attended to was my husband.’
“Mike Allison had been involved in a collision with local Arts and Culture MEC Weziwe Thusi’s police convoy. The accident happened at such a high speed, his son Mark says his father didn’t stand a chance.
“Mark Allison (Tina’s son): ‘They say the spine went through the brain from the impact — obviously from being hit from behind.’
“Nine months later, the family is still battling to come to terms with their loss.”
The programme details numerous occasions when motorists were assaulted, driven off the road and even shot at by African National Congress Blue Light Brigade thugs.
It quotes Nelson Mandela as decrying Robert Mugabe’s blue light convoy abuses and saying this behaviour is not acceptable in South Africa.
When Cele was interviewed by Carte Blanche, he could not wait to contemptuously trash the Allison’s grief and play the race card again. Leering brutishly at the camera and speaking with enormous relish and self-satisfaction he said: “All of a sudden there is a hullabaloo about blue lights. I suggest it is because some people are aware that in the blue light car today, there is a darkie inside there.”
Where does Cele’s conduct place when regard is had to the calls of both Madiba and Mbeki for ubuntu, non racialism and respect for the dead?
Even the normally scrupulously neutral and diplomatic Derek Watts, in his sign-off, remarks at the end of the programme feels constrained to condemn the arrogance displayed on the programme – sentiments that are universal.
Unfortunately the MEC’s unlawful behavior will transmit through the ranks as was clearly demonstrated when Constable Hlanganani Nxumalo, another member of the ANC’s notorious KZN Blue Light Brigade, was charged with eight counts of attempted murder and one of malicious damage to property after he purportedly shot out the tyre of a motorist on the N3 near Camperdown during November.
The driver of the car lost control, veered into oncoming traffic and collided head-on with another vehicle. Eight of the twelve people in the two cars were injured, four of them seriously. There was, as usual, no emergency — just an ANC member who was late for an appointment. In refusing Constable Nxuma bail, magistrate Thys Taljaard said: “There’s a history of VIP members terrorising road users and having no regard for the law. Can one really blame the press for referring to them as the blue light gang of KZN?”
Clearly the actions of the MEC are translating themselves into unacceptable conduct on the ground and it begs the question why the ANC has not censured Cele for his earlier conduct and come out strongly in respect of this incident in particular. Party discipline needs to be maintained and the total disregard by the KZN transport MEC for law and order at this time in the country’s history, when fighting crime is high on many voters’ priority lists, is a matter for grave concern.
The following extract is from Tony Leon’s recently published autobiography, On the Contrary ( Jonathan Ball Publishers, 2008):
“Shortly after I first came to parliament in 1990 I encountered President FW de Klerk leaving the Union Buildings in Pretoria as I was entering them. South Africa was involved in a low-intensity but deadly civil war and De Klerk was a marked man from Right and Left. Yet his entourage comprised two vehicles: his own Mercedes with a driver and bodyguard followed by a police chase car. That was it.
“Any encounter with Mbeki was different. I noted in 2005, ‘When I saw President Mbeki’s entourage, I managed to count 12 vehicles, including an ambulance, before I lost track altogether.”
“As Mbeki himself said: “Indeed the work we have done in pursuit of the vision and principles of our liberation movement has at all times been based on the age-old values of Ubuntu, of selflessness, sacrifice and service in a manner that ensures that the interests of the people take precedence over our desires as individuals.”
If that is the case then the ANC had best clamp down hard on those persons who utilise state transport in the course and scope of their duties and might I suggest that convoys be limited to the president and deputy president with the rest travelling alone. The money that is saved to be invested in the poorer communities of this country.
A prince with dignity and determination
Prince Ngarambe’s goals are to become Rwanda’s first transgender model and to uplift the country’s youth
The EFF’s principles are unshakeable
Unlike the ANC, the core values of the freedom fighters do not change with each leader it elects
