Same old, same old

Well that didn’t take him long!

Yes, only a month after taking over the position of Safety and Security Minister, Nathi Mthethwa, has already reverted back to the old ways of his predecessor Charles Nqakula.

Under Nqakula’s reign as Minister, the DA often had a hard time getting any information out of him. He was often very vague and would use every possible excuse to keep potentially embarrassing information away from the public, especially when the questions dealt with crime statistics or critical shortages of personnel in the SAPS.

His refusal to provide this information was a clear violation of his constitutional obligation to account to Parliament.

Unfortunately, Mthethwa is taking the same road.

He has refused to respond to a series of DA parliamentary questions requesting information on visible policing, detective and crime intelligence capacity at police stations around the country, and details on the capacity of border security, Crime Combating and the Family Violence, Child Abuse and Sexual Offences units.

In his refusal to answer the DA’s questions, the Minister stated: “[a]s indicated in one of my predecessor’s replies to Parliament…no answers that will impact negatively on our operational deployments of human and material resources, or with respect to any area of our operational strategy and tactics, will be provided.”

Mmm…firstly, I don’t see how it will impact negatively on their operational deployments. If there is a problem this will give them the opportunity to fix it.

We can only assume that the real picture is not so rosy, so rather hide the truth then face it?

In any case, Mthethwa has only been in the position for a month. No one is going to blame him. I would rather him report the truth and say that we have to turn the situation around. He would certainly gain my respect. But hiding behind the truth is exactly what we don’t need if we are going to win the war on crime.

It just shows you…”Motlanthe’s/Zuma’s new cabinet” is just acting the same way as Mbeki’s – DENIAL DENIAL DENIAL

The DA is, of course, not that impressed.

“Mthethwa shows a decided contempt for the principles of openness, transparency and accountability,” said DA spokesperson on safety and security Dianne Kohler Barnard.

“The questions posed by the DA to the minister go to the heart of our ability to win the war on crime in South Africa, and his refusal to table an adequate response to them shows an unwillingness on his part to commit to the principles which underpin his duties as a public official.”