Sibiya expected to resume bail application

No surprise why we have landed here today.<br><br>During the Jacob Zuma rape trial, many of us watched with disbelief as the ANC and some of its leaders failed to show the empathy and solidarity that victims of sexual violence deserved. Zuma was acquitted, but his testimony about taking a shower after having unprotected sex became a defining moment of that trial.<br><br>Then Julius Malema publicly said that Khwezi had enjoyed herself with Zuma. There is video footage of those remarks. What did the ANC do then? What did its leadership do to defend the dignity of the woman at the centre of the case?<br><br>Some of us walked away from the ANC because we could no longer reconcile what we were seeing with the principles we believed the organisation should stand for. We chose to stand on what we believed was the right side of history.<br><br>Now we are confronted with the Sibiya matter.<br><br>If Sibiya had been arrested and dealt with when the earlier allegations and complaints first arose, would the subsequent alleged rape of a minor have happened? We will never know for certain. But that is precisely the question that must be asked.<br><br>Why is he only being disciplined now when there was already a Premiafrica matter from last year? Why did it take so long for decisive action?<br><br>And then look at the leadership of the police.<br><br>We have a retired lecturer serving as Police Minister, while the Acting National Commissioner is Lt-Gen Puleng Dimpane, who was previously the SAPS Chief Financial Officer. She was appointed Acting National Commissioner after Fannie Masemola was placed on precautionary suspension.<br><br>At the same time, the Madlanga Commission has heard serious allegations about the infiltration of law-enforcement structures by organised criminal networks and allegations of an “Indian cabal”. Those allegations have been disputed by witnesses and have not been established as findings against the people mentioned.<br><br>This is precisely why people are asking questions about competence, accountability, appointments and the ability of our police leadership to deal decisively with corruption and criminality.<br><br>Appoint a clown and you get a circus.<br><br>South Africans deserve institutions that protect victims, act on serious allegations, and hold people accountable regardless of rank, political connections or position.<br><br>That is how we got here. And unless we confront these failures honestly, we will keep arriving at the same place.