Criminals operate freely - and some are even given top government jobs - while the homeless are are hounded by police, writes Danny Oosthuizen.
Cape Town - This has been a very challenging time for our city and its students. #FeesMustFall lost its meaning due to vandalism and violent fights between demonstrators and the police.
It is no longer about fees.
It’s almost as if they are provoking the police deliberately and, at the end of the day, they will look like the victims of police brutality.
I also feel they have a hidden agenda going on that is political.
Talking about political, one can only shudder to think what the international community must think of our leaders.
Remember the interpreter at Nelson Mandela’s funeral? He was not qualified at all and yet this man stood so very close to US President Barack Obama during his tribute.
Then we have the former national police chief and Interpol president, the late Jackie Selebi who was friends with the notorious drug dealer Glenn Agliotti.
How embarrassing it was to have this man convicted of fraud, racketeering and corruption.
This weekend, we read about Hazel Francis Ngubeni, our High Commissioner to Singapore, who was convicted in the US for drug smuggling and jailed for six years in 1999.
It gets worse: she was arrested in 1995 at OR Tambo International Airport allegedly with 9kg of heroin. (She was acquitted as the key witness refused to testify against her.)
Now, here’s the thing: how can one get away with this? How can our government not pick up this information during security checks? How does a former SAA cabin attendant become the South African High Commissioner in Singapore?
In his book Bullets or Ballots, Dr Ruben Richards writes: “I am astounded by the human capacity to get used to bad things and adapt to terrible circumstances rather than to change them for the better.”
Funny how in Cape Town the cops seem to witch hunt the homeless for drugs while the dealers trade every day at the same place without any arrests.
Allow me to shift your mind to more positive news. The StreetScape Community garden is hosting a new District 6 People’s Market at Trafalgar High School on Saturday, October 22.
Fresh produce, crafts, clothing and food will be on sale, including our famous “Dignity Sandwich”.
Market space can be hired for R100 a table for two days (Saturday and Sunday) Info: [email protected]
A Dance-a-Thon will be held between 10am and 12 noon, organised by Trafalgar High and Janet Jacobs from the Renewal Institute. Contact [email protected].
StreetScape has really done some amazing work with the support of the community. It goes to show that with the sharing of ideas, skills and general support, we all can all push towards an all-inclusive community.
* “Danny’s Diary” is published every Tuesday in the Cape Argus.
Cape Argus