Andy Mashaile: Assassin’s arrest - accountability awaits officials & politicians

With the arrest of the first suspect in the murder of Witness D, Security Strategist Andy Mashaile talks to Chris Steyn about the likely consequences facing both officials and politicians when the Madlanga Commission of Inquiry and Parliament's Ad Hoc Committee hearings conclude with reccommendations. “..there will be prosecutions - and I am confident with this arrest that the Special Investigations Task Team has started…the momentum is rolling.” Mashaile details the urgent institutional reforms that should be introduced to address the systemic weaknesses in policing and prosecution, and states what is expected of the government in the next six months: “The people of this country are sick and tired of commissions and reports. The people of this country actually want to see arrests and accountability as well as convictions..” Mashaile hails the establishment of the Special Investigation Task Team - “...it is important that we send out a message, as South Africa, to organised crime networks that says we have teams that can come after you” - and believes the task team’s arrest of the alleged killer of Witness D could signal a turning point in the protection of whistleblowers in South Africa.