“Too many things have already been said about the Oscar Pistorius tragedy. As a South African expat, it is the things that have not been said that I find most upsetting.
“Nobody has yet explained how this case has tarnished South Africa’s international image and reputation. Where I work in London with 50 or so journalists, the questions I have been asked are indicative of how my country of birth has been tarnished by this mess:
– ‘If the best policeman to investigate a high profile shooting has seven counts of attempted murder against him, what are the rest of you police service like?’
– ‘How dangerous can it be to live in South Africa if you need to live in a security complex with armed guards and still need a stash of arms and ammunition, not to mention the cricket bat, to protect yourself?’
– ‘Do you solve your disputes by breaking each other’s legs?’
– ‘Did somebody leave the gates of the asylum open or are you all like this?’
– ‘How many times did this line of defence (a burglar in the bathroom) work in the past?’
– ‘If Pistorius did believe there were intruders in his toilet, did he expect them to be black or white?’
– ‘Can you blindly shoot through a door if you do not know who is behind it?’
“I don’t think South Africans at home actually grasp how our country is being perceived by the rest of the world. Let’s take another example. When I covered the initial Shrien Dewani extradition hearings in Woolwich Crown Court in London some two years ago, a South African weekend newspaper requested a background feature as a supplement to their Dewani news stories. The angle I chose to write about was how shocked foreign journalists were when they saw the “Pappa Wag Vir Jou” anti drunk driving advertisement screened in court. It was used by Dewani’s defence team to show that he would run the risk of male rape in a South African prison should he be extradited. While foreign journalists could not believe what they were seeing (they were literally stunned silent), the news editor of the said weekend paper simply could not see any newsworthiness in the story. He simply thought the journalists I quoted were “stupid” and that the advertisement he viewed on TV day after day were perfectly “normal”.
“The Pistorius fiasco aptly highlights the average South African’s willingness to accept the status quo in South Africa as “normal”, while the rest of the world finds it astounding, further tarnishing our country as a crime ridden crackpot of a country. (I would add to this list the completely irrational way sportspeople are perceived as heroes and national icons, but this – unfortunately – happens all over the world. Big money and blind adoration for some nitwit that can kick a soccer or rugby ball seems to be the product of an international collective lobotomy of the masses.)
“While our legal system has earned a few lines of respect in the way the bail hearing was conducted, this was completely outweighed by the bombshell after bombshell of police incompetence. Even politicians have added to the shame. Do not, for one second, think it has gone unnoticed that it is the very same ANC Women’s League who protested against bail for Pistorius that was extremely vocal in the argument that Jacob Zuma should be found not guilty of rape. Add to this the reality that the most up to date and accurate reports on the Pistorius story is found in newspapers and websites like the UK’s Daily Mail and Guardian, even the South Africa media stands accused of mediocre complacency to the point of incompetence.”
(The above is the opinion of the writer and not that of SA Promo)