A motorist who used his cellphone to film KwaZulu-Natal Premier S’bu Ndebele’s speeding motorcade in January has denied accusations that he is a racist, the Witness newspaper reported on Thursday.
”I’m not a racist,” the paper quoted the motorist as saying.
On Tuesday, provincial transport minister Bheki Cele issued a statement to the media justifying speeding VIP convoys and called for the Witness to supply the name of the motorist who filmed it.
”He is a self-made, arrogant, non-accountable individual who purports to be a good citizen and I will dare to argue that he is also a racist,” said Cele.
He said the motorist who had used his cellphone to film Cele’s convoy speeding at 160km/h had broken the law.
The newspaper, which ran the story in April, has refused to reveal the name of its source, stating that it ”is bound by the journalistic code of ethics not to reveal the identity of its sources”.
”We want his name so that he could explain his breaking of the law which includes speeding, using a cellphone whilst driving and threatening the premier’s security.”
The motorist told the paper on Wednesday that he was willing to pay the fine for the speeding offence. He added that he had not been caught by traffic authorities and argued that his own evidence cannot be used to prosecute him.
”The law states no motorist may use a cellphone while driving. It does not state that you may not use your video camera while driving. The next charge on the rap sheet will probably be a charge that my car has a racist colour. Or that my tyres were all smooth.
”Or perhaps I listened to the wrong music while filming them. Now it’s me who’s going to take action against the MEC [provincial minister] for defamation of character, purporting me to be a racist,” he told the Witness.
‘Taste for flashing blue lights’
The blue-light saga was elevated to the national stage on Wednesday when Cele appeared as a guest on SAfm, once again defending the use of the blue lights by provincial government officials, saying it is within the bounds of the law.
Cele also reiterated statements he made previously, including his accusations that the Witness was advancing a political agenda on behalf of its ”political masters”.
Cele last week accused the paper of being bankrolled by the Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP).
He also said the issue was not a provincial one as it had been raised only by ”a certain section” of society.
”It is surprising that the only newspapers reporting on this are the English newspapers. The issue has not been picked [up] by Zulu newspapers,” Cele said.
The minister came under fire from mainly white listeners who called in to the programme, with one listener even calling Cele a buffoon.
The insult, Cele said, was indicative of the racist manner in which the matter has been handled.
However, towards the end of the programme Cele received support from mainly black callers. These callers also said they view the ”hullabaloo” over blue lights issue as racist, with one caller asking why the issue was not picked up by the media before the African National Congress came to power.
Cele said the previous premier, Lionel Mtshali, used to have the biggest convoys but the ”issue was ignored by the newspaper [the Witness] when it was still located at the doorstep of the legislature”.
In a statement sent to the media on Wednesday by IFP member of the provincial legislature, Lionel Mtshali, the party dismissed Cele’s allegations.
”The IFP also wishes to disassociate itself from the suggestions of conspiracy with the Witness newspaper concerning the issue of blue lights,” Mtshali said.
He further accused the premier and former provincial transport minister, S’bu Ndebele, of being the only minister in the previous administration to use blue lights: ”Mr Ndebele developed an early taste for flashing blue lights, a taste that has come to characterise the arrogance of the current ANC administration,” he said. – Sapa