Politicians laying charges against each other no more than ‘photo ops’

The penchant by political parties to lay criminal cases against ministers serves no purpose other than political expediency, with experts saying this makes a mockery of the system in a country with a low conviction rate on politicians.

The news cycle is not short of accounts about opposition politicians marching into police stations to open cases against a government minister, a more recent case being that of the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) charging Police Minister Bheki Cele.

This emanates from a High Court in Pretoria ruling which on Friday revealed the minister had attempted to halt the suspensions of police officials who allegedly attempted to fraudulently procure personal protective equipment (PPE) last year.

ALSO READ: EFF’s Ndlozi to open case against Police Minister Bheki Cele

Policing and forensic investigation professor at the University of South Africa Rudolph Zinn said it was a political public relations show.

“There is no real outcome in it but a political statement that people are making,” he said. Often politicians made statements to police based on hearsay.

“It is not something they have witnessed personally, or experienced.

It is an allegation that somebody committed a crime “and that is why many of these cases do not go anywhere”.

Instead of opening cases, it would be productive for politicians to assist the real complainants with evidence, as well as necessary pressure for successful investigation.

“It seems to me it is more political scoring as seen with informing the media that they are going there so that pictures could be taken,” he said.

READ MORE: Cele’s visit to Zuma might all have been in vain

University of the North-West political scientist Prof André Duvenage said this demonstrated that the rule of law was ineffective and inconsistent, undermining the whole concept of the constitutional dispensation and constitutional democracy.

“Political forces are stronger than the institutional framework that is upholding legal systems… “How many ministers ended up in jail since 1994?

“We know conservative estimates are telling us that state capture amounted to between R500 billion and R1.3 trillion, but there is not a single person that is going to jail for that, so the system is definitely not effective when it comes to politicians and political power.”

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