Dont speak Ill of the dead

Members of parliament all speak good things about the late Sicelo Shiceka lets look at his profile and what he achieved in his life. Business Address Close Sicelo Shiceka's Professional details Previous Position(s) Minister | Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs | Government of South Africa South Africa | 2009 - 2011 Government, Public Administration and Defence -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Minister of Provincial and Local Government | Government of South Africa Pretoria | 2008 - 2009 Government, Public Administration and Defence -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Chairperson | Religious Affairs sub-Committee | ANC Provincial Executive Committee’s Commission South Africa | 2004 - 2007 Government, Public Administration and Defence -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Deputy Chairperson | NEC Legislation & Governance Sub-Committee South Africa | 2007 Government, Public Administration and Defence -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Chairperson | Gauteng Peace and Stability Sub-Committee | African National Congress South Africa | 2007 Government, Public Administration and Defence -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Chairperson | Constitutional Development and Administration in the National Council of Provinces (Parliament) South Africa | 2004 Government, Public Administration and Defence -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Chairperson | Select Committee on Local Government South Africa | 2004 Government, Public Administration and Defence -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Chairperson | Committee for Safety & Security in the Gauteng Provincial Government South Africa | 1999 Government, Public Administration and Defence -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Deputy Chairperson | African National Congress Kyalami Region South Africa | 1993 Government, Public Administration and Defence -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Provincial Secretary | Cosatu South Africa | 1992 Government, Public Administration and Defence -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Co-convenor | PWV Economic Development Forum South Africa | 1992 Government, Public Administration and Defence -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Deputy Chairperson | Johannesburg | South African Communist Party South Africa | 1991 Government, Public Administration and Defence -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Provincial Secretary | Paper Printing Wood and Allied Workers Union South Africa | 1990 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Organiser | Paper Printing Wood and Allied Workers Union South Africa | 1989 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Leader | Azanian Students Organisation South Africa | 1987 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Branch Chairman | Congress of South African Students Soweto | 1980 Government, Public Administration and Defence -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Director | 2010 FIFA World Cup Local Organising Commitee South Africa Sport and Recreation Educational history Tertiary University of the Free State Masters degree in Political Economy Wharton Business School Pennsylvania, United State of America (USA). Diploma in Economic University of the Witwatersrand Diploma in Labour Relations Activities Memberships African National Congress Member Executive Council for Development Planning and Local Government Member, 1994 - 1999 Provincial Executive Committee of the South African Communist Party Member, 1991 - present Provincial Working Committee of the South African Communist Party Member, 1993 - present Gauteng Provincial Executive Council of ANC Member, 1996 - present Committee On Public Services, Parliament of South Africa Member Provincial Legislative Proposals, Parliament of South Africa Member Joint Standing Committee on Defence Member Land and Environmental Affairs, Government of South Africa Member Select Committee On Land and Environmental Affairs Constitutional Review Committee Member National Council of Provinces, Parliament of South Africa Member, 2004 - present Political Committee ANC Member, 2007 - 2012 (but dead now) From news24 Sicelo Shiceka's death a tragedy I like to think that I am not naïve. I know that the anonymity and ease of access of the internet make it a sheltered environment for all the ugliest sides of human nature. Faceless people can say what they like with no fear of censure or accountability, and what they like to say can sometimes be very ugly indeed. I was, however, left feeling uncomfortable at some of the outpourings of hate which greeted Sicelo Shiceka’s assumedly long and painful death. You would think that we were all celebrating the death of a serial killer! Sicelo Shiceka was not a serial killer. He was a bent politician. He abused the position of trust that he had been placed in and took what was not rightfully his. I certainly don’t think we should be building any statues in his honour, but it’s not like he was an apartheid minister or anything. And I do think we should all regret his passing. Obviously he will be mourned by his family and friends (and a lonely Swiss prison inmate). There are also many out there who still admire his contribution to the struggle. For others he was a brother in arms, a fellow soldier in the fight against an oppressive system. Unfortunately, through no-one’s fault but his own, for many of us he was no better than a common thief. So why should we all be saddened by his death? It has everything to do with how he lived. Our nation is at a critical point in its history. The government who freed us from oppression is very quickly making the transition from being liberators to being a nest of corrupt, self-enriching opportunists. And, for better or for worse, Sicela Shikeca was one of the worst examples of the trend. He was also exposed. The findings of the public protector left our government no choice but to remove him as a minister. And with that, he became an opportunity. This could have been the point where our leaders said “no more. This is not who we are going to be”. But they didn’t. I know he lost his ministerial job, but he was still an MP. Our government quietly removed him from the public eye, but he was never held accountable. He still drew his ministerial salary, and he was never charged. But he also became something else. Call it the elephant in the room if you will. Every day he spent as an MP was an embarrassment to his party. Every time there was a slow news day, journalists around the country could haul him out and shove him onto the front page and say “look- he’s still here. Getting paid. Not getting charged!” Every time his case was mentioned, it was harder for our leaders to pretend they were not condoning corruption. They would have had to have charged him eventually- thanks to the Public Protector, the evidence was out there. And a small battle in the war against corruption might have been won. Not any more. He’s dead. And with his death, those who would sweep his actions under the carpet are released from the growing pressure to act. If they feel it’s worth the effort, the spin doctors can even set to work turning him into a hero of the struggle again. And all of his colleagues will quietly note that there were no real consequences to his actions, and one or two more who were teetering on the brink will quietly slip their hands into the till. So for all of you screaming “yeehah!” and lining up to spit on his grave, stop being such dicks and think for a second. His death is far more of a loss to you than it is to his party.