Mthembu walks the talk

Having been among the first to slate African National Congress spokesperson Jackson Mthembu for his being arrested for drunk driving in the same week as four Soweto school kids lost their lives, I would like to be among the first to salute his willingness to accept responsibility for his actions.

At a time in South Africa’s history where politicians repeatedly refuse to be held responsible for their deeds — and thereby send the worst signal to our youth — he has held himself accountable.

While this must in no way be considered as condonation for his actions, it does introduce a course of conduct which if followed by the ANC and other political parties would ensure that the country as a whole would be far better off and a much safer place to live.

Mthembu was convicted of drunk driving, having entered a plea agreement with prosecutors, which resulted in a brief appearance in Cape Town’s Wynberg Magistrate’s Court. There he was sentenced to a fine of R12 000, half of which was suspended for five years. In respect of the charge of driving in the dedicated bus and taxi lane on the N2 freeway he also pleaded guilty and was fined R500.

As a result thereof his driver’s licence will also be endorsed.

He did not attempt to waste the courts time with nonsense or fabricate some ridiculous story as we see from so many other politicians and officials, he took his punishment.

This will soon be forgotten unlike some of the clowns who, knowing that everyone knows they are guilty, persist in claiming their innocence.

Mthembu, 51, was represented in court by senior Cape Town advocate Norman Arendse, as a result of his being arrested on March 11 by the “ghost squad”, an unmarked traffic unit, for driving in the bus lane just before 8am. He was later tested as over the alcohol limit.

As the ANC’s spin doctor he has, for me, achieved far more through his conduct today than anything that he has said or done before.

Let everyone from the president and leaders of the opposition parties take note.