Editorial
Johannesburg - Thabo Bester’s escape from prison and his subsequent brazen eight-month life of luxury in one of Johannesburg’s most expensive suburbs, is an absolute embarrassment for the South African government.
The story, uncovered by journalists, told a tale of a network of corruption and intrigue not just involving public servants but corporate staff to whom this vital function of the state had been outsourced.
If that is where the saga of the notorious Facebook Rapist had ended, it would have been yet another chapter in South Africa’s sorry descent into rogue nation status. But it didn’t.
We will park the Guptas in the back of our minds - the brothers who dodged extradition to SA from the UAE to face charges of political corruption - for now.
Instead this week, law enforcement officers tracked Bester and his alleged accomplice Dr Nandipha Mgudumana to Tanzania, arrested them and brought them back to stand trial – and return Bester to jail.
There is much about this that is stunning to ordinary South Africans. The alacrity with which the police acted; the ability of multiple government agencies to work in tandem and harmoniously – and with foreign agencies - and the professionalism of every aspect is not something that we are used to.
And yet, this was not a singular event.
On Thursday, police announced that no fewer than seven suspects had been arrested for the brutal murder of veteran journalist and former colleague Jeremy Gordin less than a fortnight ago. This achievement too was the result of a multi-disciplinary process involving collaboration with outside agencies, this time private security.
Both of these events are cause for joy. It is wonderful to know that our country does have the capacity to enforce the law, and we heartily congratulate everyone involved for making this happen.
But it is also incredibly sad: this would not have happened had it not been for the coverage and the outrage these cases received.
This week should be the norm. Not the exception.