Mkhwanazi's security beefed up after threats, says Masemola
'He's been getting threats to his life in the province with his security, but he won't be persecuted from my side. Surely there will be no persecution of any member of the police, not only him, but anyone,' Masemola said.
On Sunday Mkhwanazi alleged deputy national commissioner Lt-Gen Shadrack Sibiya obstructed justice, stalled investigations into political assassinations and organised crime and shielded politically-connected suspects by taking control of more than 120 sensitive dockets.
Further allegations implicated the minister of police, suggesting links to controversial figures such as Vusumuzi 'Cat' Matlala, who faces serious criminal charges, but reportedly remains politically protected while benefiting from lucrative SAPS contracts.
Responding to the issues during a briefing at the firearms destruction operations in Gauteng, Masemola said he would rather leave matters to President Cyril Ramaphosa to intervene.
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As Kay Moonsamy put it: 'Our struggle was not for favours, it was for freedom.' The apartheid state retaliated. In 1956, 156 leaders were charged with treason, including Chief Albert Luthuli, Nelson Mandela, Helen Joseph and Yusuf Dadoo. The trial ended in acquittals in 1961. A long arc of struggle: 1955, the Freedom Charter is adopted in Kliptown; 1956-61, the Treason Trial; 1960s-80s, the Charter is the underground symbol of resistance; 1990, the ANC is unbanned and Mandela released; 1994, the first democratic elections; 1996, the Constitution is adopted, echoing the Freedom Charter. As Justice Albie Sachs said: 'The Constitution of 1996 is the legal child of the Freedom Charter.' Today, Kliptown is both a heritage site and a cautionary tale. The hall still stands, but around it are informal settlements, failing infrastructure and unemployment. It's a metaphor for a democracy unfinished. To read the Freedom Charter today is to hear both a dream and a rebuke. Its bold declarations: 'The People Shall Govern! There Shall Be Work and Security! The Doors of Learning and Culture Shall Be Opened! The Land Shall Be Shared Among Those Who Work It!' These were demands for justice, dignity and equality. The gulf between Zimbali Estate's affluence and Cato Crest's deprivation, between District Six's memory and the Cape Flats' misery, reminds us how far we have to go. The Freedom Charter remains a living document. Its power lies not in nostalgia, but in renewed action and radical hope. Marlan Padayachee is a veteran correspondent from South Africa's transition to democracy, and is now a freelance journalist, photographer and researcher.
