South Africa’s increasingly thin-skinned bureaucrats have shown, in disturbing developments recently, a tendency to try to use the legal system to protect their fragile little feelings.
First, the state presented some arguments against the granting of bail to National Coloured Congress leader and MP Fadiel Adams which are spurious at best, we believe.
Bail is meant to ensure an accused doesn’t abscond.
Adams never tried to run away before his arrest on allegations of interfering in police investigations.
The cops knew where he lived so that’s where they picked him up. Yet, one of their claims was that he would attempt to evade trial.
Crucially, though, the state and the cops were peeved about Adams and his outspoken comments on social media which amounted to “defamation”, they claimed.
In other words, “he hurt our feelings”.
That sounds like Public Protector Kholeka Gcaleka’s warning that if anyone disrespectfully criticises her office’s investigation of the Phala Phala affair, they could be facing a R40 000 fine… or jail.
South Africa’s constitution has strong guarantees of freedom of speech and the actions of the cops and the public protector seem to be ignoring those.
This police state posing must be resisted by all who value democracy.
