As sports minister, Fikile Mbalula was better known as Razzmatazz than for bringing home any medals. As the new minister of police, he should guard against shooting his mouth off as he did at his police welcoming parade, when he told officers to "fight fire with fire" and "shoot back, don’t retreat". That is precisely the sort of reckless bravado the Farlam inquiry into the Marikana massacre warned against. The danger is that when politicians don’t understand what good policing entails, they latch onto populist rhetoric. They imply, as Bheki Cele did, that we can either have human rights or effective policing; not both. But as Farlam pointed out, acting outside the law contributes to bad policing and erodes public trust. It is antics like this which create the impression Mbalula is a clown. He’ll need to work hard to change that view. He should use his energy to rebuild trust in the police. First, he must accept that Berning Ntlemeza, a liar, is unsuitable to head the Hawks. Pick so...
Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.
Subscribe now to unlock this article.
Support BusinessLIVE’s award-winning journalism for R129 per month (digital access only).
There’s never been a more important time to support independent journalism in SA. Our subscription packages now offer an ad-free experience for readers.
Cancel anytime.
Questions? Email helpdesk@businesslive.co.za or call 0860 52 52 00. Got a subscription voucher? Redeem it now.