Zuma must pardon the middle-finger jogger

Chumani Maxwele, a student from UCT, was arrested, his house searched and then interrogated about his political affiliations after purportedly making an obscene gesture at President Jacob Zuma’s convoy of vehicles while out jogging.

According to the Sowetan, Maxwele was arrested for “waving on” Zuma’s convoy when he was jogging on De Waal Drive, Cape Town, on Wednesday last week. A black BMW pulled up and three men jumped out, allegedly pointing guns at him. He was then pushed into a car. According to an official spokesman the outrage involved waving at President Jacob Zuma’s convoy, swearing at the president and resisting arrest.

I don’t believe that South Africans appreciate the seriousness of these charges, which are best described by a 20th century philosopher who, when facing a decision from “judge” cried out : “You cannot be serious! The ball was out. Are you blind?”

Correct me if I’m wrong but the president has been having a rough time of it lately following the love-child incident and a less-than-inspiring State of the Nation address. Yesterday Cope and the Democratic Alliance walked out of Parliament after a dodgy call from the speaker of Parliament.

So the last thing his image needs right now is the Gestapo-style tactics employed by his less-than-secret service.

If as police ministry spokesperson Zweli Mnisi says Maxwele did point his middle finger at the president and made a gesture which was synonymous with swearing and showing disrespect then the best, and perhaps only, thing to have done was to make out like you never saw it and carry on driving.

That way nobody would ever know that there are people on the ground who are so incensed by the president that they actually feel compelled to show him the middle finger.

The arrest and subsequent conduct of the police creates an incident which is not only unnecessary but will beg the question of what kind of administration is running the country where police are slow to prevent an Eersterust boy from being shot at a packed sports event for children — 5 days after a first attempt had been made — but are brutally efficient in pouncing on a jogger who may have shown the middle finger?

Did the police for example call in the NIA when an attempt to murder Abdul Abrahams was first made? Did they send storm troopers into the area trying to track down these assassins?

Yet when some jogger who could never have even known he was going to bump into the Zuma convoy gets irritated by all the noise we suddenly have Night of the Long Knives?

Mind you there was one act of kindness shown to the poor jogger.

When the three SS men grabbed him and pulled into one of the cars in the convoy they apparently put a brown paper bag over his head.

With Zuma’s current popularity Maxwele must have been mightily relieved that nobody could recognise him as part of the convoy.

Our recommendation is that Zuma’s security add one more course to their training programme. It’s one used by many police forces around the world and may prove vital to their wellbeing. It’s called Getalife 101 and I’m sure it will prove beneficial to them the next time one of those irritating convoys encounters joggers along their route.

As for Maxwele, perhaps the president could grant him a pardon?

While his “crimes” may be far more serious than those of Shaik and De Kock, perhaps it might be appropriate to signal to South Africans that the quality of mercy still exists in this country.

If not ask a vet if he can have Chumani put down at a group rate if some of the older police dogs are included.