Again I am stuck out here on the rig relying on the internet and the so-called printed media to keep abreast of all the news worthy happenings back home. So it was while browsing through the News24 website that I came across the latest utterances of one of our "public protectors" his Honorable National Police Commissioner Bheki Cele. While I am fully aware he should be addressed as "General Cele" I am referring to him as Commissioner for a reason.

A General in my view commands a military unit that does the job and follows orders to the very last word, no matter what it takes the job get's done. Thus far, the South African Police Service (Force) only seems to succeed in two things, one being wasting the hard earned tax payers money and two, reacting and solving crimes when it suits them. Case in point being the amazing response and record setting arrest times during the FIFA Football WC held a few months ago in South Africa. Hell, the managed to arrest an armed robber in less than 24hrs after holding up a guest in a hotel! More recently though, the tragic murder of Anni Dewani while on honeymoon in Cape Town shows yet again the height of the problems we as South African citizens face with the incompetence of the SAPS to solve violent crimes. According to the last statistics made available by the same SAPS, South Africa has a rate of 46 murders a day or 0.496008 per 1,000 people, most of these remain unsolved. Yet, they managed to apprehend a suspect in the murder of Anni within 7 days!

All this just proves that it is entirely possible for the police to pull their stomachs in and push their chests out and do what they are paid to do. Protect the South African public, solve crimes and ensure perpetrators are brought to book for their crimes. They've proven that they have the capacity to do this, but again after the WC has come and gone they resorted back to their lazy ways. As a citizen of South Africa, I can do nothing but laugh when I see a police officer walk get out of his police vehicle which his stomach hanging ore than just a little over his belt. How the hell is he going to chase a suspect? He will make it half a block and collapse from a heart attack.

I think it's high time that "General" Cele stops shunning the pertinent questions put to him by "spinning" a story and pointing the finger at the UK citing and I quote "I'm saying to you, you act as if you are crimeless where you come from," "You are not crimeless." Everyone knows crime is an international problem and I am in no going to dispute this. What I am going to say is that it's high time the General start acting like a General and not a spoiled little puppet and command his troops. They first need to put on a diet and a mandatory exercise program.

As South Africans, we can no longer allow people like "General Stomach in, Chest Out" to keep our lives in their hands when clearly they only have time for those with money and power. What then will happen to the normal man on the street? I can tell you, so can the crime statistics, your crime will most probably end up in the rows and rows of unsolved crimes that will be forgotten before long by those who are mandated by the constitution to protect lives and protect property.