Zapiro = Genius

Read our previous posts regarding the issues in this cartoon - here & here.

Source: http://www.mg.co.za/zapiro/all

Maxwele incident - an assault on our liberty

Today, Frans Cronje's article at Moneyweb highlights the liberty that all of us South Africans have lost through the Maxwele-zapping-the-President incident.

If more incidents like this one are allowed to take place South African citizens will increasingly fear the approach of the blue-light convoys of black BMWs that ferry political leaders around South Africa. Many already fear these convoys, which have been known to open fire on innocent civilians who get in their way. What does it say to the ANC that many South Africans now live in physical fear of running into the country's political leaders? It is a phenomenon far removed from the confident embrace that greeted so many of these same leaders on their return from exile or release from prison during the early 1990s.

Do we all now have to live in fear of blue-light convoys, in the same way we live in fear of cash-in-transit vans?

Let's lay the Maxwele situation to rest

Today SAPS published a confession and apology by Chumani Maxwele for his zapping the President's convoy and swearing at the police who confronted him about it.

I emphasise the word "by" in the above, because I don't want the reader to mistakenly read the word "to" in its place. I am in strong agreement with Calli and Emma at For Voet's Sake! who argue that the Minister of Police in fact owes Maxwele an unreserved apology and perhaps even compensation. The reader would be forgiven for mistakenly reading that the Minister had apologised to Maxwele.

Minister Nathi Mthethwa said in the statement, "Let us lay this matter to rest, as the person concerned has now apologised." This statement smacks of defiance in the face of very damning actions by the police.