Our politicians don’t think they have to stand up and answer to the citizens they are meant to serve. It’s becoming commonplace for them not to take accountability for what they do and say, and such an action was on full display again this week when Fikile Mbalula refused to answer a question from a member of the media about what his cryptic tweet about Ukraine sent over the weekend.
When Mbalula said he had landed in Ukraine on Saturday and then curiously said he would be in Pretoria on Monday, a reporter has every right to ask the minister of transport some questions, writes Qaanitah Hunter. But when a TV journalist tried to get an explanation from Mbalula he was rude and said she was being “disruptive” during his press briefing at a driver’s licence testing centre.
That’s the crux of the problem pens Hunter, our politicians don’t think what they do and say matters to ordinary people, but it does and when they decide to make policies and statements it can affect the entire population. So, what’s a little joke about landing in a war-torn country when you’re the minister of transport facing a driver’s licence crisis and failing transport infrastructure across the country?
What’s more, Mbalula also retweeted a statement from the Russian embassy in South Africa, which said it had “a great number of letters of solidarity from South Africans” for its war against “Nazism”.
The German embassy had to point out that the Russians were doing nothing of the sort and that Russia is “slaughtering innocent children, women and men”.
The conduct of our politicians is utterly shameful and reprehensible at times, and it makes you question the calibre of leadership being displayed from those in government when these sorts of unenlightened actions and messages are being bandied about.
As Hunter writes in her column, we deserve so much better.
Here’s a roundup of interesting opinions, analyses, and editorials:
TOM EATON | When the ANC wants to send on a clown, it’s always got Fikile – Sunday Times Daily (for subscribers)
A pacifist picks a side in a war… – Daily Maverick
ROB ROSE: Don’t panic – SA isn’t a failed state (yet) – Financial Mail (for subscribers)
Karyn Maughan | Mkhwebane’s baseless Stalingrad litigation shows why she must be suspended – News24 (for subscribers)
IN-DEPTH | SA can prevent local economic fallout – expert on country’s Ukraine response – News24 (for subscribers)
Mbhazima Shilowa | Blistering high fuel prices, broken transport system – Govt is failing our people – News24 (for subscribers)
A message from Ukraine: boycott Russia’s blood oil now – The Guardian
