The Weekly Editorial
Nothing could have buttressed the widespread perception that our justice system tends to treat celebrities and prominent individuals with kid gloves more than the sentencing of athlete Oscar Pistorius did this week. Five years in jail seems like a slap on the wrist considering the athlete was found guilty of killing his girlfriend, Reeva Steenkamp, in the wee hours of Valentine’s Day last year. What exacerbates the whole issue, at least in the court of public opinion, is the possibility that Pistorius is likely to effectively serve only 10 months behind bars before parole is considered. We understand the courts,…
ANC as shop steward of the people
The term “shop steward” has its origins in the manufacturing industry and with craft workers. It was then used to define those on the shop floor or employees of the organisation working as lay workers who were able to represent fellow workers in negotiations with the managers and/or employers. Today, shop stewards are commonly defined as representatives of workers in trade unions, or worker associations. There are different definitions of a shop steward. But the most relevant definition I have come across is the one provided by online encyclopedia wikipedia.com: “A shop steward, or union representative, is an employee of…
Does race distort the scales of justice?
“Let justice be done, though the heavens may fall.” So said Britain’s Lord Chief Justice, William Murray, when he made a ruling in 1772 that would lead to the abolition of the slave trade in England. The heavens, of course, did not fall. And though Murray’s decision was not well received by the slave traders, justice had been done, even though it proved unpopular. In the court of public opinion, most people believe that Oscar Pistorius knew what he was doing when he fired four shots through a closed toilet door in his Pretoria home on February 14 last year,…
