Zukiswa Wanner

Anyone who follows South Africa’s politics would have heard that with the advent of the new National Executive Committee (NEC) of the ruling party post-Polokwane, the major decision they have made thus far is the disbanding of the National Prosecution Authority (NPA), or Scorpions as they are commonly known. The highly efficient Scorpions, South Africa’s answer to the FBI, are supposed to be integrated to the highly inefficient South African Police Services by June allegedly because they have too much power (NB – I am not one for gross generalizations. There are some hard-working members of SAPS. Unfortunately most of South African crime victims are yet to encounter them). It must be highlighted that the Scorpions are also the body that is currently investigating suspended Police Commissioner Jackie Selebi; investigated and got a conviction for NEC member Tony Yengeni; are investigating and pushing for the prosecution of ANC president Jacob Zuma – but, I am not one for conspiracy theories. I am certain the ANC NEC decided as they did for the good of the country. Yeah right.

Then – how is this for irony – yesterday while addressing a group of South Africans of the paler hue, the populist ANC president states that he is considering having a national referendum to bring back the death penalty because crime is out of control.

Y’see, South Africa is a many-coloured nation and you have to know what to say to which audience. Everyone knows that although the highest number of crime victims are black, the people who fear crime the most are whites (at this time blacks are probably worrying about unemployment, evictions from informal settlements, or what they will have for dinner that night – flimsy issues really). So Mr. Zuma struck the right code with his audience.

This would be absolutely funny if it were not so painful. You want to disband the investigating body with the highest conviction rate in the country yet you will make a referendum to bring back the death penalty? Eish, Joe. I wonder why he did not think of having a national referendum to see how people feel about the disbanding of the Scorpions.

I have not committed a crime worth the death penalty so I should not care about a referendum that might bring it back either way but I do care. I care because in the past in countries with death penalties, people have been falsely convicted and with a death penalty, it has often been too late to do anything and I would never feel good about one dead person wrongly murdered at the hands of the state when there might have been twenty rightly killed.

I care because bringing back the death penalty will entail changing the best Constitution in the world and adding a constitutional amendment and how do I know that Mr. Zuma and his comrades will not choose to have referendums on other issues that may directly affect my life or those of people I care about – think women not to wear pants/skirts of a certain length, reversing gay rights etc?

May be one of the NEC members will read my blog and whisper a word in Mr. Zuma’s ear to leave the Constitution alone and concentrate instead on getting his day in court for corruption charges. Or may be not.

I am young.

I am black.

I am a woman.

And lately, it looks like what the three demographics I belong to have to say does not matter. Just ask the young girl whose skirt was ripped off at the Noord taxi rank two weeks ago. Or the black workers who were made to drink urine-laced soup by white University of Free State students at that. No-one has been arrested yet because the victims are not important enough. Would the Scorpions have been set to investigate these issues, I am sure someone would be in the docks. And yet – hang the Scorpions and bring back the death penalty. Yay Mr. ANC President!