Dear DM168 reader,

It’s incredible how we people of the south are so enraptured by rare natural phenomena like snow. I didn’t get to touch the icy flakes that sprinkled on the faces of my family members, friends and colleagues 35 minutes away down the N1 in Johannesburg, but what a welcome respite and delight it was to see so many pictures of joy and wonder. Our photographic editors have selected the best of these pictures to share the wintry wow with you in this week’s newspaper.

Every time I write this letter to you, I ask you to engage with me about whatever is on your mind or in reaction to our stories. Sometimes it feels like we are working in a vacuum, that our stories land in the deathly hallows of cyberspace or become part of supermarket shelf waste. 

When you write to me, whether in praise or criticism, or whether you share a thought, anecdote, joke or tip-off for a story, it energises me. Your weekly emails are my snowflakes.

A story about alleged corruption from a reader tip-off

A few months ago, one reader, attorney Mr Mothusi Mogari, sent me an email about a story that he thought needed investigating. He nagged me week after week, checking on any progress made on the story about justice denied to members of a remote poor community in North West who were wrongfully accused of public violence, arrested and jailed. The residents asked Mr Mogari to sue the then police minister Nathi Nhleko for damages.

Do they stand a snowball’s chance in hell of getting any compensation from the minister of police for the trauma they faced in jail? If not, just say it. And explain why.

It took a while because the issues were complex and needed responses from all involved, but this week, after much toing and froing, research and interviews, writer Lucas Ledwaba brings to light the case that asks deep questions about how legal professionals may financially or otherwise benefit from unreasonably excessive court delays. 

Mr Mogari alleges that there is some kind of collusion and corruption in the system, a claim the Hawks investigated and handed over to the NPA, which decided not to prosecute. The NPA has still not fully explained to Mr Mogari or the community why they took this decision.

We hope that by sharing this story, the NPA will answer not just to us but to those people who are losing faith in the legal system because they have been sent from pillar to post. Why can’t they just be told the truth? Do they stand a snowball’s chance in hell of getting any compensation from the minister of police for the trauma they faced in jail? If not, just say it. And explain why.

Unlicensed guns that have killed and maimed

When our specialist crime writer Caryn Dolley first wrote about the class action case that Gun Free South Africa was launching against the SAPS on behalf of victims of guns that police sold to gangsters and criminals, I shared with you how much I abhorred guns and the casual way they are used on our streets to assassinate whistle-blowers like Babita Deokaran, or in taxi and drug wars, domestic violence and family murders.

One of our readers who disagreed with my view was an ex-policeman who made me think a bit deeper about responsible gun use for defence and protection. While I do understand the reader’s view, the story that Caryn writes in this week’s paper shows just how far we are from responsible gun use. 

It all harks back to our pathetic excuse of a police service, which in no uncertain terms has failed to “create a safe and secure environment” for each and every one of us who are not surrounded by 81 VIP Protection Unit officers and blue-light brigades.

Caryn’s story reveals how the proliferation of unlicensed firearms is linked to the shambolic state of the Central Firearms Registry, which is meant to keep a record of each and every firearm. This has been going on for years and has still not been sorted out. Killers are using stolen and unlicensed firearms and far too many guns used in murders are not being tracked, traced and destroyed. 

Come on, Minister Cele and Commissioner Masemola. You both have been involved in the police service for more than a decade. How many more murders of innocents will it take for you to get your acts together?

Make my day by sharing your snowflakes of thoughts and feedback at [email protected]

Yours in defence of truth

Heather

This story first appeared in our weekly Daily Maverick 168 newspaper, which is available countrywide for R29.

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