Robert McBride and the Tooth Fairy
When I wrote a few months ago that Robert McBride (pictured) was a favourite scapegoat for many white South Africans who refuse to acknowledge the evils of apartheid, I received some vitriolic emails. Well, I still think that many white South Africans judge McBride more harshly than other state officials, but if the latest report in The Star is true, he deserves all the scorn coming to him.
The newspaper reports that three of the top cops in the Metro who had been on the scene of McBride’s car crash and who had now made statements that do not correspond with the version given by McBride, are being victimised at work.
On May 18, notices were placed around various metro police offices banning Chief Superintendent Stanley Segathevan, Superintendent Itumeleng Koko and Chief Superintendent Patrick Johnstone from entering the premises. The official reason: they had tried to gain unauthorised entry into the police's head office after hours. On Tuesday, the trio consulted their lawyer about getting a protection order against McBride. They also tried to hand in their letters of grievances at their offices, but were denied access.
It is perhaps not surprising that no decision has been made whether McBride will be charged with drunken or reckless driving. After all, the cops (McBride’s pals) who
happened on the accident scene whisked McBride away and did not take a blood sample as would normally have been required. McBride said afterwards that he had amnesia and could not remember how he rolled the car after returning from an end of year Christmas party and in any case, it was all a racist conspiracy.
I am sure there are a few people out there who believe McBride. I mean, who on earth would drink any alcohol at the Police end of year Christmas party – unthinkable, surely. And amnesia is a common occurrence so how can we doubt his claims in this regard. It happens all the time – in Days of our Lives.
Those same people who believe McBride’s story will also believe that judge Hlophe got permission to receive R500 000 from Oasis from mid 2001 for “out of pocket” expenses from now dead Minister Dullah Omar in early 1999. And while we are at it, we should ask them about the whereabouts of tooth fairy and whether Father Christmas wear underpants under that red coat of his.
Jokes aside, the whole thing stinks. Police are supposed to be beyond reproach and we the people pay them to enforce the law. If a leading police officer like McBride, who is Ekurhuleni Metro Police Chief, tries to avoid the law like this, he is undermining respect for the Rule of Law.
If the report in The Star is correct, he has now also abused his position of authority to avoid criminal sanction and could then potentially be found guilty of the obstruction of justice.
But maybe the report is not true. I am looking forward to McBride’s press conference where he will explain everything and will deny that he is abusing his power to thwart the criminal investigation against him.
What will he say? This time amnesia won’t do the trick. Maybe he will claim he got permission from Dullah Omar to bar the cops from their places of work. Oh no, that is the wrong Minister, so that won’t work either. He should speak to Judge Hlophe who will surely be handy with a creative answer or two?
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6 comments:
Eish,ja ne, this thing of prominent people aborting the justice system is fastly becoming a norm in South Africa. I mean is the current legislation in place not sufficient to curb or prohibit such actions.Then there are bodies such as the JSC that endorses the conduct of Hlope. One wonders how much they have pocketed from the R500 000, ag dont mind me i am just being silly, like the hobo that said he somewhat knows the Kebble killer. Eish, law and politics.Some people seem to be immune to or above the law, think i am joking ask Judge President Hlope. Ja ne, law and politics, prof maybe we should cloth ourselves with taking closer inspection into this minefield.Also it seems as if the function of the JSC has become redundant or i will say it loud they are incompetent.One wonders whether the labour legislation in place is applicable to them ccuase incapacity warrents demotion and dismissal.Why do the press conference take so long i almost forgot about this incident. Or will it silently be sweep under the carpet.Or will the right to a fair trial later be invoked becuase the matter has dragged for to long. Peace.
McBride is a joke. Any dignity the metro police ever had is long gone with people like this representing them, never mind being 'chief'. The whole business has a distinctly rotten smell about it.
"Who put all the goo in my hands after I got away with Magoos?"
Bobby McBride
personally i think society has been unfair to mcbride the blacks simply because he is not black so he doesnt fit evryones role of freedom fighter and whites because of his apartheid era involvement with the ANC and fight against apartheid.But here is a man who might not be righteous but has been demonised to the point him actually almost taking up the role of demon.
Oh dear, I evidently need to remind everybody here how to be a good South African.
First off you are asking too many questions, stop it (or else).
Allow me to remind you of the following commandments that are in affect, albeit unwritten.
1)Thou shalt not criticise! (ever)
2)Shouldst thou ignore the above commandment thou shalt be subjected to harrasment, assault, threats and any other form of strong-arm tactic we can think up to make you comply with our wishes.
3)Thou shalt not think for yourself (it's easier to hide what we are doing that way).
4)Thou shalt turn a blind eye to corruption, only white governments have that.
5)Thou shalt blame hunger, unemployment, AIDS, corruption, murder, robbery and any other negative situation in South Africa on apartheid, that way we don't have to do anything about it.
6)Thou shalt not question our authority, we are the new aristocracy, and we may, should we choose, adopt the use of the royal plural.
7)Thou shalt never complain about crime, we don't know what your problem is, there is no crime.
8)Thou shalt take a murderer, and make him the Head of Police
(Ke?)
9)Thou shalt believe what we say, always, even if the lie is glaringly obvious.
10)Any deviation from the above commandments will result in commandment 2 coming into effect.
Just some ramblings folks, not serious you know, its just a joke, like some of our leaders.
The point I am trying to make with the above rambling is the following.
"All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others." Snowball
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