Opposition parties are having a field day with Constable Hlanganani Nxumalo, the policeman who apparently shot a tyre of a car that was a little slow to move out his vehicle’s way on the N3 highway in KwaZulu-Natal last weekend.
Nxumalo now faces eight charges of attempted murder after the car at which he shot veered into oncoming traffic and collided with another vehicle.
It has since emerged that the VIP drivers were speeding to pick up provincial minister for social development Meshack Radebe.
Radebe finally got around to visiting the victims and tendering an apology on Wednesday, but also took the opportunity to accuse opposition parties of politicising the incident.
“A life could have been lost. When the creator made us, he did not make us as UDM, IFP or DA. He made us as human beings. They [the opposition parties] don’t show sympathy.”
More damningly, Radebe accused the media of blowing the incident out of proportion.
“How can an incident that happened 50km away from me have anything to do with me?” the minister asked this week.
Radebe also claimed that the media were out to “get him”. Similar incidents had taken place involving his Inkatha Freedom Party “predecessors”, but the media had not made much of this.
Radebe appears to be trying to dodge the issue. Nxumalo is clearly associated with him, and to insist otherwise is disingenuous. What climate exists in Radebe’s department, or perhaps the VIP unit, that could allow a policeman to fire on a car that was too slow in getting out of the way?
This incident comes at an unfortunate time for the African National Congress (ANC). Every event is now seen through the prism of the forthcoming elections and the breakaway Congress of the People (Cope) party.
The ruling party is also still trying to win exclusive rights to the name Congress of the People. Cope this week refused to stop using the name, and the ANC said it may launch another round of litigation after the ANC’s application against the breakaway party’s use of a previous name was postponed indefinitely in the Pretoria High Court.
What is clear is that the new party is not going to go away, and the ANC’s continued attempts at litigation will probably be construed as spoiling tactics.
| FULL SPEED AHEAD |
NOT SO FAST |
Bafana Bafana
Bafana Bafana ended the year on a high this week, beating highly rated Cameroon 3-2 in a thrilling Nelson Mandela Challenge match. Bafana have endured a torrid year, failing to qualify for the continental showpiece, the Africa Cup of Nations. They have now won four in a row, giving hope to long-suffering supporters that better days lie ahead. |
 Constable Hlanganani Nxumalo
If allegations against this constable prove correct — that he in fact did fire his gun at a slow-moving car, which then caused an accident in which almost a dozen people were injured — then he should, at the very least, be drummed out of the police force. If true, this constable is a disgrace to the police force and to humanity in general. |
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November 13 to November 19
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