Charles Nqakula must think the South African public very forgiving – or stupid. A few months ago he went on record stating that those complaining about the problem of crime should stop “whinging” and leave the country. Now that he’s been force-fed some humble pie with the latest release of crime statistics, there’s been a spectacular change in choral melody: the exact word he used to describe the dramatic rise in violent crime was “unacceptable”.
Calling Nqakula ‘slow on the uptake’ is an insult to snails. By monthly comparison, there are almost just as many ‘casualties’ in Iraq. Has it taken him 5 years as Minister of Safety and Security to realise that the level of crime might be “unacceptable? With all due respect to the man, he’s certainly not the sharpest tool in the ANC/SACP shed. Actually, I wonder what they do in that shed – backmasking the communist manifesto into the latest Kwaito hits – because short of brainwashing, I’m mystified at the reason for their starry-eyed support. Take another ‘prodigious’ talent sprung from the embers of struggle: Jackie Selebi; national commissioner of the SAPS; president of Interpol – and kissing-cousins with a crime syndicate boss and alleged murderer.
In the beginning of this year, Selebi rhetorically asked, “what’s all the fuss about crime?” It’s hardly surprising that these modern-day aristocrats with their private security details and VIP convoys are out of touch with reality on the street. When asked about the effect of crime on the impending 2010 World Cup, he replied that he doesn’t lie awake at night “with 2010 on his forehead”. He promptly alluded to the botched bombing attempts in Glasgow last week, saying that nobody was scurrying to cancel 2012 Olympic Games. The subtlety in his spurious comparison must’ve evaded his clumsy grasp: Glasgow’s bombings were botched; the horrifying crimes aren’t. Does that make him obtuse -- and a martyr? Sharp as a marble, Jackie… With the horde of foreign media attending the event, it might end up being the proverbial bull’s eye on his forehead. Perhaps he should be lying awake.
In what must rate as the worst comeback in recent memory, Nqakula, when pressed to resign by Afriform, said that he’d rather stay on; even trying to turn the tables by demanding to know what they’re doing to stop the wave of crime. Well, Charles, they’re addressing the problem of crime – and starting with you. A comprehensive response to crime requires visionary leadership, iron resolve and a willingness to think outside a blinkered and antiquated box – qualities Charles seemingly reserves for the dinner table.
