Reporter

The militarization of American policing

On Jan. 4 of last year, a local narcotics strike force conducted a raid on the Ogden, Utah, home of Matthew David Stewart at 8:40 p.m. The 12 officers were acting on a tip from Mr. Stewart’s former girlfriend, who said that he was growing marijuana in his basement. Mr. Stewart awoke, naked, to the sound of a battering ram taking down his door. Thinking that he was being invaded by criminals, as he later claimed, he grabbed his 9-millimeter Beretta pistol.

The police say that they knocked and identified themselves, though Mr. Stewart and his neighbors said they heard no such announcement. Mr. Stewart fired 31 rounds, the police more than 250. Six of the officers were wounded, and Officer Jared Francom was killed. Mr. Stewart himself was shot twice before he was arrested. He was charged with several crimes, including the murder of Officer Francom.

The police found 16 small marijuana plants in Mr. Stewart’s basement. There was no evidence that Mr. Stewart, a U.S. military veteran with no prior criminal record, was selling marijuana. Mr. Stewart’s father said that his son suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder and may have smoked the marijuana to self-medicate.

Early this year, the Ogden city council heard complaints from dozens of citizens about the way drug warrants are served in the city. As for Mr. Stewart, his trial was scheduled for next April, and prosecutors were seeking the death penalty. But after losing a hearing last May on the legality of the search warrant, Mr. Stewart hanged himself in his jail cell.

The police tactics at issue in the Stewart case are no anomaly. Since the 1960s, in response to a range of perceived threats, law-enforcement agencies across the U.S., at every level of government, have been blurring the line between police officer and soldier. Driven by martial rhetoric and the availability of military-style equipment—from bayonets and M-16 rifles to armored personnel carriers—American police forces have often adopted a mind-set previously reserved for the battlefield. The war on drugs and, more recently, post-9/11 antiterrorism efforts have created a new figure on the U.S. scene: the warrior cop—armed to the teeth, ready to deal harshly with targeted wrongdoers, and a growing threat to familiar American liberties.

The acronym SWAT stands for Special Weapons and Tactics. Their usual aim is to “clear” a building—that is, to remove any threats and distractions (including pets) and to subdue the occupants as quickly as possible.

The number of raids conducted by SWAT-like police units has grown accordingly. In the 1970s, there were just a few hundred a year; by the early 1980s, there were some 3,000 a year. In 2005 there were approximately 50,000 raids.

A number of federal agencies also now have their own SWAT teams, including the Fish & Wildlife Service, NASA and the Department of the Interior. In 2011, the Department of Education’s SWAT team bungled a raid on a woman who was initially reported to be under investigation for not paying her student loans, though the agency later said she was suspected of defrauding the federal student loan program.

The details of the case aside, the story generated headlines because of the revelation that the Department of Education had such a unit.

Americans have long been wary of using the military for domestic policing. Concerns about potential abuse date back to the creation of the Constitution, when the founders worried about standing armies and the intimidation of the people at large by an overzealous executive, who might choose to follow the unhappy precedents set by Europe’s emperors and monarchs. – WSJ

Scientists discover brain’s misery molecule

Scientists have found the brain’s ‘misery molecule’ believed to be responsible for all of our feelings of stress and anxiety.

Researchers believe that the protein – named CRF1 – could also be linked to depression.

A team from Heptares Therapeutics, a medical company based in Hertfordshire, used one of the world’s most powerful x-ray machines to study the brain’s pituitary gland.

It has long been known that the gland controls stress, depression and anxiety by releasing stress chemicals, the Sunday Times reports.

Now, scientists have discovered the response is triggered by CRF1 – which is found in the outer membranes of pituitary cells.

Fiona Marshall, chief scientific officer at Heptares, told the paper: ‘Stress related diseases such as depression and anxiety affect a quarter of adults each year, but what many people don’t realise is that these conditions are controll

When it picks one of these molecules up, it triggers the parent cell to release the hormones which lead to stress and anxiety, the paper reports.

Using the Diamond Light Source, based in Harwell, Oxfordshire, which produces powerful x-ray beams, researchers were able to study the protein’s structure and pin point areas which could be targeted by new drugs.

Ms Marshall said they had identified a ‘crevice’ which would be an ideal area to aim a molecule which could be specially designed to block CRF1 – effectively disabling it.

She said the team now hope to use this research method to analyse molecules involved in type 2 diabetes – with the hope of one day developing a drug which can be taken orally as opposed to the injections which sufferers of the condition have to use. – Daily Mail

How evil was apartheid?

by Albert Brenner

How does one measure evil? Is there such a thing as a universal ‘index’ according to which deeds of evil can be judged?

If we, for example, take the Universal Declaration of Human Rights as the final arbiter of what is evil and what is not, how could we then judge Zimbabwe as being more evil than, for example, China or Saudi Arabia – two countries enjoying marvelous ties with the West despite their abysmal human rights records and lack of democracy.Is this blatant hypocrisy, or just the obligatory Realpolitik of individual nations surviving in a cynical world where might is right?

Be that as it may; it would be quite an interesting exercise to give Joe and Jane Average a list of five words to rank according to the evilness ‘index’ of the West.For example; take the words Apartheid, Gowon, Mengisthu, Hutu and Kim IL Sung, and then give them a rating-number, 1 – 5, on the supposed scale of the evil they signify. Try it.

It would not be surprising if your ranking closely resembles the original order of the words I listed. The last four words/names will most probably be vaguely familiar and have some negative connotations, whereas the first word, Apartheid, is guaranteed to conjure up images of the most evil kind.

The question now obviously is whether evil is evil most foul simply because you know about it, especially in view of the fact that the above four words/names that you are not really familiar with denote genocides of a million and more!

Did you know that fewer than 2000 people were killed by security forces in South Africa during the 42 years of Apartheid? And did you know that 80% of all the politically motivated deaths during Apartheid (total 20 000) was due to black-on-black (mostly tribal) violence? 2000 too many of course, but seen against the background of the never-ending vilification of white South Africans, the four million-man genocides mentioned above and innumerable unknown other evils like, for example, Robert Mugabe’s knighthood – awarded by the Queen while he was massacring over 20 000 Matabeles in 1984, surely must illustrate that selective (media-borne) knowledge of evil can never be the ultimate criteria when putting together an ‘index’ of universal evil.

Lest I stand accused of quantifying evil, let us examine the reason why Apartheid’s 2000 dead in 42 years is judged as being more evil than, amongst others, Pol Pot’s 2 million dead in 4 years and Rwanda’s 1 million dead in 3 months.

Apartheid South Africa was ruled by whites, and whites (the West) demand that their kin, wherever they may find themselves on this lonely planet, act according to the moral standards they have set themselves, be it those inherent in human rights, democracy or neo-liberalism, in general.Whenever a white nation transgresses, it is punished till it conforms… and rightly so. Noble and honourable indeed the West’s moral hegemony is, especially given the fact that none of the other races bother to do so at all.

Japan can’t be bothered (except financially) by China’s human rights abuses and lack of democracy, neither can black South Africa by Mugabe’s horror regime, or Saudi Arabia by the Taliban’s madness. Different moral strokes for different coloured folks, it would seem.

But then, the West has always been on a mission to make existence as livable as possible, for all humanity. A quest not easily undertaken or brought to fruition, especially when living in the moral outskirts of progressive human existence… like in Africa.

Did you know that the life expectancy of black South Africans nearly equalled that of Europeans during the last decade of Apartheid? Did you know that the black population nearly trebled during Apartheid? Did you know that black South Africans had the highest per capita income and education levels in Africa during Apartheid?

No, of course you didn’t, because your view of evil has already been defined… by the willful “filtering” of morality through the MSM and popular culture.

Western Cape wine farmer in court for assault

A Western Cape farmer accused of blinding and rendering a teenager epileptic will appear soon in the Ashton Regional Court, The Star reported on Monday.

According to the newspaper, Flippie Engelbrecht, who is now 19, was 15 when he and his father were attacked while on their way home from a farm in January 2008.

His head reportedly hit a wine tank during the assault and he later went blind and started having epileptic seizures.

The Star reported that Engelbrecht was burnt when he fell into a cooking fire during a seizure in September, and had to have his hands amputated. – Sapa

World-wide growth in smartphone muggings

Apple and other smartphone manufacturers are facing co-ordinated pressure from officials in London, New York and San Francisco to tackle the rise in phone theft that is increasingly blighting cities even as other crimes plummet.

While the US and Britain have both seen a dramatic decrease in crime over the past three decades – with UK data this week showing crime at its lowest since records began – “theft from the person”, or mugging, is surging.

Scotland Yard estimates these types of offences have increased by 15 per cent in the past year, and about 10,000 phone handsets a month are stolen in London. In New York, police say so-called “Apple-picking” is the fastest-growing street crime, with 113 devices snatched or lost every minute across the whole of the US.

Boris Johnson, London mayor, is hoping to join forces with New York and San Francisco to push for an industry-standard “kill switch” that would immediately disable handsets when stolen and so diminish their attractiveness to thieves. City Hall officials met their counterparts in New York this week to try to broker cross-Atlantic collaboration on the issue.

Mr Johnson has also written to the UK heads of Apple, Nokia, Samsung, Google’s Motorola, HTC, Microsoft, BlackBerry and Sony demanding action. One of his key concerns is that Apple and other retail stores are too lax in exchanging broken smartphones that could have been stolen for fresh models. Police say one individual was found to have exchanged more than 170 stolen devices for new ones in a single London store over the course of a year. Meanwhile, theft victims who are not insured often end up buying replacement handsets.

“Customers and shareholders surely deserve to know that business cannot and must not benefit directly from smartphone theft through sales of replacement devices,” Mr Johnson’s letter reads.

US federal and state security experts this week took part in a demonstration of new theft deterrent measures on Apple and Samsung devices, as part of a “Secure Our Smartphones” campaign led by New York and San Francisco.

New York’s attorney-general Eric Schneiderman and San Francisco district attorney George Gascón said that while they were “appreciative” of the efforts made by Apple and Samsung to improve security, they were “not going to take them at their word” and would interrogate the new systems against tactics commonly employed by thieves.

Stephanie Ong Stillman of the San Francisco district attorney’s office said public pressure forced Apple and Samsung to co-ordinate with them, which they hope will accelerate the development of a kill switch across the industry.

“The question is no longer if the technology can be implemented, but when,” she said. “We hope the progress made by Apple and Samsung spurs Microsoft and Google to get in the game.”

Apple said in a statement that it had “led the industry in helping customers protect their lost or stolen devices”, since launching its Find My iPhone app in 2009.

BlackBerry and Microsoft, which also received Mr Johnson’s letter, declined to comment. – FT.com

Do the perverts in power represent you?

by Ilana Mercer

House Republicans are waging a symbolic and futile battle to slash the Internal Revenue Service’s budget by $3 billion. Republicans,according to reports,want the tax-collectors to pay for “unfairly scrutinizing conservative groups applying for tax-exempt status.”

As usual, the GOP finesses the matter, as does the press.

The Washington Post’s Michael Gerson understated the IRS’s abuse of “police power” as a mere “intrusion”; an ideological targeting by federal investigation of a political movement. To its credit, the Post’s Editorial Board stepped it up, conceding, at the time of the scandal that, “Any unequal application of the law based on ideological viewpoint is unpardonable—toxic to the legitimacy of the government’s vast law-enforcement authority.”

More to the point—and likely with White-House imprimatur—the IRS persecuted American patriots for promoting the constitutional principles upon which America was founded, but which are no longer a lodestar for the country’s government. These groups were hounded for their principles—and for asking to keep more of what is rightfully theirs in the service of these values.

How perverse is that?

And how perverse is the sight of the sameIRS bureaucrats getting their freak-on (as in groove-on) at your expense? Watch this YouTube clip of a representative cross-section, no doubt, of the IRS workforce at a “training conference.”Look at these off-putting officials having a jolly good time on your dime. Chins and butts wiggling obscenely all over the show; these people belong in a Federico Fellini film.

You could not fan away the smell in that hall if you tried.

You don’t imagine that such a grotesque group—physically and morally—could add value to a private company that must vie for the consumer’s voluntary vote, do you? One reason the Internal Revenue Service’s menageries of freaks and slobs are going places—but the proposed legislation to curb them is going nowhere; the agency will continue to accrete in size and scope—is the nature of the thugs that man the IRS.

In “Liberty, Order, And Justice: An Introduction to the Constitutional Principles of American Government,” constitutional scholar James McClellan made an interesting point about the “theory of representation embodied by the Constitution”: “A legislator does not represent just people as such, but people in a broader cultural sense, including their localities and their way of life.” (page 99)

Granted, bureaucrats are not legislators. However, in the modern Managerial State that is America, citizens live and labor under bureaucracies that have been imbued with enormous discretionary powers.

So I ask you this: These repulsive IRS agents, stomping about with abandon in carnival-like conferences and getaways: Do they represent you? Do they reflect your habits, manners, demeanor, priorities or worldview? We are trapped in the deforming, deadly clutches of institutionalized freaks.

Alas, Mark Steyn gets the remedy wrong. After recounting the “scale of depravity [in the IRS] hitherto unknown to the tax authorities of the United States,” the neoconservative Steyn concluded predictably and in error, that the IRS “should be disarmed and disbanded—and rebuilt from scratch with far more circumscribed powers.”

Suppose that disbanding and rebuilding this den of iniquity and vice were the solution here—which it most certainly is not—how does Steyn propose to get it right this time around? We live in an age unparalleled for its immorality, decadence, debauchery, lack of traditional religiosity, and corruption—all parading as normalcy. As bad as they might have been at the agency’s inception, IRS bureaucrats would have been more virtuous than the degenerates who run the agency now and will run it in the future.

If not illegal, let us remember that the IRS’s activities are immoral. The IRS’s business is legalized theft. Theft is wrong, whether it is committed by an individual or a group. In a just society, the moral strictures that apply to the individual must also extend to the collective.

Immoral acts that are forbidden severally cannot be sanctioned collectively. The citizen must not steal. Neither should The State.

House Republicans are aiming ostensibly to make an agency of thugs practice theft and intimidation with greater fairness, when they should demolish the den of iniquity and vice that is the IRS.

Read Ilana Mercer’s blog.

Riot in France after Muslim veil check

Muslim rioters threw rocks and set fires following a police check of a completely veiled woman in Trappes, a western suburb of Paris, newspaper Le Parisien reported Saturday.

The gathering of 200 to 400 people became “violent” at about 8:30 pm (1830 GMT) Friday, the report said. The mob vandalized a bus shelter and set refuse bins on fire.

Two police officers were injured, a police union spokesman said. An unconfirmed report said that one boy was injured and rushed to hospital.

Police surrounded their station with emergency vehicles to protect it from the rioters.

The mob in the town of 30,000, 30 kilometres from central Paris, was angered by the arrest of a 21-year-old man on Thursday, who attacked a police officer after objecting to a police check of his fully veiled wife.

In France, the wearing of burqas and other veils in public is prohibited. – dpa

Johannesburg airport gang robs former deputy minister

Jan Smuts airport in Johannesburg, rechristened by the ANC to 'OR Tambo airport' — Jan Smuts airport in Johannesburg, rechristened by the ANC to ‘OR Tambo airport’

Former deputy finance minister Jabu Moleketi has been robbed by a gang which targets people leaving OR Tambo International Airport, in Kempton Park, the Sunday Times reported.

“Quite clearly, they were rushed. They just grabbed the suitcases,” Moleketi was quoted as telling the newspaper about the attack at his home in Observatory on Saturday.

Moleketi, who chairs the Development Bank of Southern Africa, had returned from a G20 meeting in Russia on Saturday morning.

“Obviously, they followed us [from the airport]. As we entered our house, they blocked the sensor [of the gate] and ran out with guns.”

Moleketi reportedly said the items stolen were worth about R70,000.

Police reportedly confirmed to the Sunday Times that an investigation was underway. – Sapa

Mandela family ‘cannot afford legal fees’

The Mandela family members, who took Mandla Mandela to court over the relocation of the graves of former president Nelson Mandela’s children, were too poor to afford their own lawyers, the Sunday Times reported.

The Rhodes University Law clinic told the newspaper it had established some of the Mandela family members were “indigent” but would not reveal the criteria used to determine their eligibility for funding the case.

“A call was made to the management of the law clinic requesting permission to take on the matter,” director of special projects at the university Susan Smailes was quoted as saying.

“Permission was granted as the management was satisfied that there was compliance with the means test.”

When Sunday Times asked Ndaba Mandela whether his family members had requested legal aid and which of his relatives he considered to be indigent, he said: “Be careful of your sources.”

Makaziwe Mandela did not respond to requests for comment from the newspaper.

The clinic states on its website that it provided free legal services to the “indigent people from Grahamstown and the surrounding area, who cannot afford to pay a private practitioner” as one of its primary objectives.

“We find their claim that some members of the Mandela family are indigent absurd,” said Mandla Mandela’s spokesman Freddy Pilusa.

The court case referred to the graves of Mandela’s eldest son Madiba Thembekile, who died in a car accident in 1969; Mandla Mandela’s father Makgatho Mandela, who died in 2005; and Mandela’s first daughter Makaziwe Mandela, who died as an infant in 1948.

On July 3, the court ordered Mandla Mandela to return the remains of his grandfather’s three children to Qunu from Mvezo, where he had moved them two years ago. It then dismissed his application to rescind its decision as frivolous.

The ailing anti-apartheid icon was admitted into a Pretoria hospital on June 8 with a recurring lung infection. – Sapa

Unlucky kick dashes Cheetah hopes in dying moments

Cheetahs five-eighth Riaan Smit hit the post with a conversion attempt after the siren to give the Brumbies a 15-13 win in their Super Rugby qualifying final in Canberra.

While the Cheetahs scored the only two tries of the match, the Brumbies dominated the kicking duel and were amply rewarded with prime territory throughout the game.

The Brumbies had the lion’s share of the possession in the first half, yet the Cheetahs’ trademark scrambling defence proved up to the task.

A hotly contested breakdown battle also stilted momentum for both teams, referee Glenn Jackson warning both captains to clean up their sides’ acts midway through the second half.

The Cheetahs were seven points down when replacement Ryno Benjamin crossed in the left corner in the final minute to give Smit a chance to send the game into extra time.

But the kick hit the left post and the Brumbies escaped with the narrow victory to book a semi-final against the Bulls in Pretoria early next Sunday morning (AEST).

While the home side arguably had the rub of the green on scrum penalty decisions from Jackson in the first half, Brumbies loose-head prop Scott Sio was clearly dominant in the second half.

Man-of-the-match George Smith was also outstanding for the Brumbies, his presence at the breakdown a constant thorn in the side of the Cheetahs.

The Brumbies were rewarded for a blitzing start with an early penalty goal, but the Cheetahs hit back in the 16th minute when their first attacking set-piece yielded a try to outside centre Johann Sadie.

Sharp-shooting goal-kicker Christian Lealiifano then uncharacteristically missed two penalty shots before finding his range again to give the Brumbies a 6-5 lead at the break.

The Cheetahs drew first blood after the break with a penalty goal to Smit, but the Brumbies hit back with three of their own to gain the seven-point lead which would eventually help them hold on for victory. – AP

Super 15 rugby: Brumbies 15 Cheetahs 13

Johann Sadie, one of the try scorers for the Cheetahs

Result of a Super 15 rugby qualifier between the ACT Brumbies and Central Cheetahs on Sunday:
ACT Brumbies (AUS) 15 Central Cheetahs (RSA) 13
Ht: 6-5
Scorers
Brumbies – Penalties: Christian Lealiifano (4), Nic White
Cheetahs – Tries: Johann Sadie, Rayno Benjamin; Penalties: Riaan Smit
Referee: Glen Jackson (NZL) – AFP

Pieter-Steph du Toit stays a Shark

Lock Pieter-Steph du Toit has ended weeks of speculation over his future by signing a new two-year deal at the Sharks, the Durban union announced on Friday.

Reports were rife over the past month, suggesting the out-of-contract 20-year-old was being targeted by some of the other major unions.

Du Toit, a member of the Junior Springbok team which won the Under-20 World Cup last year, is highly rated by national coach Heyneke Meyer and was in line for his senior national debut during in June before he was withdrawn due to injury.

“We are delighted to have secured the signature of a player of the calibre of Pieter-Steph,” said Sharks commercial manager Rudolf Straeuli.

“We not only identified him, but he has also been developed through the Sharks Academy and has a bright future ahead of him.”

New Sharks chief executive John Smit said he was thrilled the promising youngster would remain in Durban.

“Pieter-Steph has shown great promise and he has had a positive impact on the team, since joining the senior set-up,” Smit said.

Du Toit missed the back end of his team’s disappointing Super Rugby campaign with a sternum injury.

“As a 20-year-old rugby player, I am living my dream and I am extremely privileged to be identified by the Sharks as a player who can play a role in the province going forward,” Du Toit said.

“I will continue to learn from the many experienced players in our team and I hope that I can make the contribution required and expected of me.

“I will work as hard as I can and always do my best for the Sharks.” – Sapa

Crusaders beat Reds 38-9 in Super 15 quarterfinal

Dan Carter leading the Crusaders to victory

Flyhalf Dan Carter scored a try among 20 points as the Crusaders beat the Queensland Reds 38-9 in the Super 15 quarterfinals Saturday to edge closer to their first Super Rugby title in since 2008.

Carter scored the second of four tries by the Christchurch-based Crusaders and kicked three conversions and three penalties – six goals from eight attempts – to reward his team’s physical domination of the Reds, who were champions two years ago.

The Crusaders will play either the Hamilton-based Chiefs or Pretoria-based Bulls in next weekend’s semifinals depending on the outcome of Sunday’s match between the ACT Brumbies and Bloemfontein-base Cheetahs.

If the third-ranked Brumbies beat the sixth-ranked Cheetahs, the Crusaders will play the defending champion Chiefs but if the Cheetahs win they will travel to South Africa to play the two-time champion Bulls.

The Crusaders will face either of those assignments with confidence after Saturday’s comprehensive win. From the start they physically overpowered the Reds in every area.

Ryan Crotty scored first in the 10th minute, running off a pass from Carter who took the ball to the gain-line from a five-meter scrum.

Carter scored his own try in the 30th minute after an outstanding lone break by Sam Whitelock, carried on with quick passes by Israel Dagg and Zac Guildford.

Winger Tom Marshall scored in the 51st minute after Crockett had split open the Reds defense and linked with Todd, who provided the last pass to the try-scorer. The Reds were almost cowed when Reid and Carter combined in the buildup to Crotty’s second try 15 minutes from fulltime.

The Crusaders dominated the contact area with powerful tackles, with physical force and with technique which brought them seven breakdown turnovers. They were able to advance beyond the gain-line at every venture, brushing aside Queensland’s ineffective interior defense. When they did so, creating even partial breaks, there were players in ready support and all Crusaders – backs and forwards – had the level of skill to keep the ball alive and offload in tackles.

Backrowers George Whitelock, Kieran Read and Matt Todd easily thrust their way through tackles then picked out supporting players with well-timed passes. But even tight forwards such as prop Wyatt Crockett and lock Sam Whitelock – the latter one of the most energetic players on the field – had the ability to brush past the shoulders of Queensland tacklers, to extend their arms and feed the ball to teammates in space.

Carter ran vigorously into contact and either passed or established quick and accurate phase play. There was a stark comparison in the record of his opposite number, out of favor Wallabies flyhalf Quade Cooper, who was so reluctant to take the ball into contact he wasn’t once tackled in the first half, nor did he make a tackle one-on-one.

“That was pretty pleasing,” Crusaders captain Read said. “I guess it’s good to hit your straps at this time of year. … It was a great start from our guys which set the tone pretty early and it continued on from there.

“I think in finals games defense is where your character shows and probably where it’s won. Certainly, we stepped up there from last week and I guess the conditions probably helped,” he added. “We were able to play a bit of free-flowing footy which is nice as well.”

The only Queenslanders to make a significant impact were scrumhalf Will Genia, who placed himself defensively in the backfield to take Crusaders’ kicks and who was steady in that effort.

Lock James Horwill returned to the Reds’ lineup, along with Genia, after leading the Wallabies in their three-test series against the British and Irish Lions. He had an unusually subdued game, hovering mostly in midfield, and was substituted after only 60 minutes.

In contrast, All Blacks captain Richie McCaw took the field as a replacement in the 65th minute to end an eight match “sabbatical” absence from top-line rugby. He carried the ball over the advantage line with his first touch, helping to set up the Crusaders’ final try and the second of the night to center Crotty.

The Crusaders will now attempt to end a title drought which goes back to 2008 when they won their seventh championship: following those they achieved in 1998, 1999, 2000, 2002, 2005 and 2006. They remain unbeaten in playoffs matches on their home ground in Christchurch where the Reds haven’t won any game since 1998.

—–

Crusaders 38 (Ryan Crotty 2, Dan Carter, Tom Marshall tries; Dan Carter 3 conversions, 3 penalties; Tom Taylor penalty), Reds 9 (Quade Cooper 2 penalties). HT: 21-6. – AP

Democracy in crisis: South Africa ‘being taken over by crime syndicates’

Former director-general in the Presidency and author of Eight Days in September, The Removal of Thabo Mbeki, Reverend Frank Chikane said last year that South Africa’s democracy is in crisis because of compromised leaders running the country to serve the interests of crime syndicates, reports The Sowetan.

Chikane said that some of these syndicates are employed within state security agencies by commanders and some work outside the system but have strong links with political leaders.

Speaking at his book launch seminar at the University of KwaZulu-Natal Pietermaritzburg campus, Chikane also said that corruption levels in the country have increased since the days of Nelson Mandela as president and have worsened under the current leadership.

“If you read articles in the weekend newspapers about [head of police crime intelligence Lieutenant-General Richard] Mdluli, you can see that we are in trouble,” Chikane said.

He said while syndicates were taking over the country, some of the dirtiest people in the world were coming and hiding in South Africa.

Chikane, who focused more on the crisis and vulnerability of democracy during the seminar than his book, said there were people in government who served syndicates instead of the taxpayers.

“If you are compromised as a leader by a syndicate, then you are controlled by them,” he said.

The Reverend said these syndicates have people at the borders as well.

When cars are stolen in the country they easily make their way to other countries for sale, he said.

He said that in 1990 slain mining magnate Brett Kebble “bought a relationship with the ANC” through disgraced former top cop Jackie Selebi by donating money. He said that syndicates decided who was jailed, while others entered into plea bargains with the state.

“In the Kebble matter, murderers gave up their bosses who in turn gave up Glenn Agliotti who in turn gave up Selebi who is in jail now,” he said.

“There must be no person who commits crime and does not go to jail because he is connected.”