Tokyo breaks ranks
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Human Settlements Minister Tokyo Sexwale has lashed out at the government's handling of the suspension of crime intelligence boss Richard Mdluli, becoming the first minister to speak out about the atmosphere of "fear" it has generated.
Mdluli was suspended for a third time yesterday when Johannesburg Labour Court Judge Andre van Niekerk ruled that a court order setting aside Mdluli's suspension be rescinded.
Sexwale said failure by the police and the National Prosecuting Authority to act effectively against those accused of serious offences resulted in the public losing confidence in the security services, the justice system and the constitution.
"There is concern about the evidence of political interference and partiality [to benefit] Mdluli."
Mdluli was successful in getting the same court to overturn his suspension on Friday in the absence of lawyers representing the police.
An agreement was reached on Thursday that the police application would be heard today.
But Mdluli, who retained a new lawyer, made an urgent application to the court to have the matter heard on Friday afternoon.
Acting national police commissioner Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi's attorney, William Mokhari, argued that the order made on Friday reinstating Mdluli was obtained "improperly", and was secured under "grossly irregular" circumstances.
Mdluli was suspended two weeks ago after he failed to give Mkhwanazi acceptable reasons for the reimposition of his suspension.
He was suspended two weeks ago on the basis of information that emerged from an inquest into his involvement in the murder of his former lover's husband.
Mdluli is fighting for his career - he faces five investigations into his conduct when he was head of the crime intelligence unit.
The investigations are into, among other things, his alleged abuse of the police's secret multi-million-rand slush fund and the appointment of relatives to senior positions in the police.
Sexwale, lauding Mkhwanazi's bravery for acting against Mdluli, yesterday asked the Rhema Bible Church, in Mthatha, Eastern Cape, to pray for the commissioner.
Sexwale, who is expected to challenge Zuma at the ANC's national conference in Mangaung in December, was addressing the congregation as part of his two-day unofficial presidential campaign.
"Speak out when a corrupt policeman wants to be your commissioner. There's Mkhwanazi. I don't know him but this cop is standing up against the odds.
"Major people are quiet, but this cop says: 'If there's a corrupt cop and his friends are among us stealing your money ... then we should jail this cop'. Praise the Lord for Mkhwanazi," said Sexwale.
"There is something that we should lose ... fear of those in authority. We put people in authority and we get terrified of them. You fear an MEC, a mayor, a minister. You fear premiers, you fear the president ... we put people in power then we become afraid of them.
"Fear must not grip this land. South Africa cannot be reduced to a country of fear where we fear to speak.
"We have a democracy, a constitution, organs of power. Let's not be afraid to speak out," said Sexwale.
In an apparent jibe at Zuma's bid for a second term, Sexwale spoke about former president Nelson Mandela's decision to serve only one term.
"The authority above all other authorities is God ... even Nelson Mandela knew that the authority that he had belonged to the people. That's why Madiba stayed in public office for only five years," said Sexwale.
Mdluli's latest suspension was imposed as Corruption Watch and the Social Justice Coalition filed a joint application that they be allowed to join Freedom Under Law's court application for Mdluli to be criminally and departmentally charged and prosecuted.
Freedom Under Law wants the decision by the National Prosecuting Authority to halt Mdluli's prosecution overturned.
Freedom Under Law's application is to be heard in the Pretoria High Court tomorrow.
Corruption Watch director David Lewis said that, to combat graft, it was essential that the law enforcement agencies were led by people of integrity, free of any taint of corruption.
"It is particularly concerning that Mdluli, as one of the country's most senior police officials, was allegedly involved in serious acts of corruption.
"This compromises the ability of the law enforcement authorities to combat corruption," Lewis said.
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Posted 380 days ago"You don't know the power of the Dark Side, you must obey your masters"
"You have controlled your fear. Now, release your anger."
GregSmith
Mike123
Posted 380 days agoJanChrzciciel
An ANC member can wear a COSATU hat and disagree with the ANC. An ANC member can disagree with government. A member of government can disagree with the ANC but not COSATU. A COSATU member can be part of government, member of the ANC and disagree with everyone.
It's all democracy folks.
m1si2zi3nzo4
The founders of democracy must be cringing and whingeing in their graves. Establish a party based on abstract terms like 'fighting against racism', as if at the end of the day you will not have to live with the very 'racists' you 'fight'. And as if you have not categorised yourself as a racist, just by identifying another race as the 'enemy'. This guarantees you a 'broad church' that will sustain your hold on power for keeps. In this way, anyone who opposes you becomes automatically a racist, and anyone who supports you is against racism. This 'fight' never ends, because its justification is non-existent. Dictatorships must also devise new methods of domination for their continued survival in a civilised world.
danny.archer3
Posted 380 days agobuddi
Posted 380 days agoChickenRunner
Avenger12
Posted 380 days agom1si2zi3nzo4
Thuphac
Gus
Tokyo might be playing open cards now, but he has a track record of being as bad as any of the others. Heck, he bribed Juju......how does a "good man" do that? No squire...just another corrupt ANC member! Your track-record is what you should be judged by, not your words.
nkosipeter
Posted 380 days agoThuka-Thuka
BobbyBob
AaronGumede
Posted 380 days agoMangqeshane
Posted 380 days agoUDFSupporter
Posted 380 days agoThe new ANC has managed to successfully replicate everything that was evil about the Apartheid government.... including the brainwashing of their sheeple who keep them in power.
buddi
simonv
Posted 380 days agoStirrer
Posted 380 days agoMangqeshane
Posted 380 days agoAubrey Mashiqi once wrote
"One of the problems of our post apartheid reality is the attempt to construct a non-racial society on the basis of lies and the manipulation or distortion of truths about the relationship between our past, the present and the future.
The intention is to erase the racism of the past and present with the corruption, lack of delivery, moral degeneration and the pursuit of narrow individual interests which, for reasons I will unpack in another article, form part of the dominant narrative in South African politics and radio talk shows".
fearlessblack
Posted 380 days agoToyko asked why re pple electtd to power bng worshipd... He may thnk he wants a chance to selfenrichmnt too but his que is relevent bcz our uneducatd parents have long bng used now ths generation of Graduates is also plying the same thing. MJ sd luk at the man in the mirror.... Lets start gvng bek to whre we cme frm, we mst be the dng it Generation & u will c hw we wil make these Politicians suffer bcz we wil increase the bar of power to the pple....Colourds/Blacks we are1 bt tht is nt the case bcz same politicians discard us so we may nt see ourselves as BLACKS.....
ANC,ANCYL,ANCWL,COSATU,YCL,NUMSA,SACPT,COPE,DA etc..... They are all after power not fytng for the pple even Lindiwe frm DA i dnt thnk she remembers bng Black. Black nation lets rise up & White pple nation if you do not want to change the attitudes towards the black nation this Country wil never unite bcz u'l remain hated... Dnt just love your domestic worker but empower her son/dota & c appreciation frm tht fmly eg...........
10 blacks = 1 bucket system, 1 black president = 5 wives with all fancy benefits in thousands of rands... A CRY FOR CHANGE!!!!.... ZUMA NOT FOR SECOND TERM!!!!...LETS EMBRACE EDUCATION IN LEADERSHIP, PRACTIZE WHT YOU PREACH TO OUR LEANERS!!! DAMNIT ANC
THIS GOVERNMENT MST PROTECT THE RIGHT TO VOTE BY DELIVERING B4 OUR PPLE TURN A BLIND EYE ON VOTES BCZ ITS NOT YET UHURU!!!!!!!
KafreeMoneykey
Posted 380 days agoNow when I hear that one of his sons is co-owning the business with a Pakistani I actually understand why there was no "notable" intervention taken. Yoooooh! I really do not know what is happening now, I really do not know why the poorest of South Africans are not protected by our government! I need a HUG....
There are no jobs coming from our government from the main-stream, at the same time the government is turning a blind eye on the second economy! I need a HUG...
Wiseguy
bugsy
Posted 380 days ago