So today’s non-story? Judge Hlophe going on extended paid leave.
Now Hlophe is rivalled only by JZ, Julius Malema and probably Schabir Shaik in terms of circulation-boosting value. A story about his bathroom habits would guarantee thousands of hits on your news site. But once again, I fear we are yet again, being herded, lemming like into some sort of unjustified hysteric reaction to a non-story.
The nub of the story is that Judge Hlophe is being granted extended leave on top of the ministerially ordered leave of absence he has been on for most of the last two years. To be honest, I can see how your average (non) working Joe can feel aggrieved at this apparent unfairness.
But we need to get a few things in perspective:
1. All SA workers are entitled to a certain amount of paid leave per annum, judges included. obviously this varies according to one’s terms of employment.
2. Judge Hlophe is not entitled to any more unearned leave than other judges and (I am open to being corrected here) is not going on some sort of AWOL jol in the sun.
3. The special leave was imposed on him from above while he had very serious allegations to answer. Now of course if he had somehow brought the allegations on himself in an elaborate ploy to get time off from work while being all over the news, then he should be disciplined for it promptly and harshly.
4. His salary is line with the same guidelines that govern other judges’ pay. Ditto the special bonus he got for 15 years service.
5. R1.5 million per annum seems like a lot of money true. But consider how much a person with a judge’s experience, contacts and qualifications would earn in the private sector and you’ll quickly understand that what judges get paid is at most, about par.
Now of course this is the kind of perspective that does not sell newspapers or generate online traffic and one could argue that it is up to the public to arm themselves with the relevant facts and not rely on being spoon-fed by journos with deadlines to meet, but it is high time we stopped being driven by rabble-rousing non-news. this kind of drivel only serves to create undeserving martyrs and further separate South Africans through their relative political affiliations.
As for Judge Hlophe’s run-ins with the law — those are well-documented (from both sides) but the fact remains that while still in his job, he is entitled to the same rights and privileges of employment that the rest of us are also entitled to.
Now if the “problem” is that the rules allow this to happen, then let’s look at changing the rules — in the same way we should for the notorious Ministerial Handbook. I am sure we could all unite behind a cause that seeks to ensure that taxpayers get their money’s worth from civil servants.
Very good article. I like your appeal to reason, and your calm, well thought through arguments. You are quite right that certain personalities trigger knee-jerk responses from the public, without their thinking through the merits of issues, and these are even more damaging when responses tend to be polarised along party or racial lines. A great call for sanity and wisdom.
We’re increasingly getting sick of being short changed by these so called hardworking journalists.
Whatever happened to the real and objective news reporting?
Thanks for this new perspective on Hlophe. Since when did you become an apologist for the ANC’s poster boys? This ‘judge’ has been shown to be biased, racist and corrupt in addition to being a Zuma butt-creeper with a huge sense of entitlement. Now he’s milking the system for all its worth to sit around on his fat behind sulking in a corner because Zuma didn’t (in a moment of enlightenment) make him judge president. You feel getting (over)paid to do nothing is fine because the pay is similar in the private sector. Please give us ONE example of directors etc of private companies who screw up are paid to sit around doing nothing for years?! There are none, its only done by public ‘servants’ because the TAXPAYER is footing the bill.
I totally agree with you. The rules are the rules, if the rules are unfair, then they should be changed. I am just curious as to why the rules always seem to work in favour of the politically connected, lie Hlophe, Schaik with his medical parole, Malema with his blue light speeding and bodyguards, the list goes on.
We should have a story about some ordinary Joe who gets to go on 2 years enforced paid leave and then gets to take his earned leave on top of that.
Anyone?
Just a thought about what senior professionals earn in the private sector: many have to fund office space, hired help and so forth. Their net income for private spending is oft somewhat lower than the gross.
Your judge, though might not even be offered a job.
The first two commentators above are at extreme ends of oppositional standpoints, otherwise known as being ‘otherwise’. In their case, the black guy and the white guy have swithced drums and are banging away with fundamentalist fervor. Bully for them.
Most black journo’s ‘get it’ because they go through a process that teaches them to ‘think’ and apply reasonable argument to current issues. The ‘quality’ of their analytical thinking secures and ensures their jobs, and so it should be.
While the argument above that Judge Hlope is entitled to his leave due to him according to the rules that govern employment, the ‘newsworthiness’ of his taking leave after a long absence becomes an issue of his ‘quality’ and ‘service’ to his public servant position.
Under his peculiar circumstances, a person of ‘quality’ would forgo additional leave in order to ‘earn’ his huge salary. Judge Hlope should be ashamed and shamed, but then the skin is thicker than the brain in this instance.
The rest of us ordinary mortals are fortunate to get 15 or 21 working days off per annum. This useless judge, (useless by his further absence), gets to take off until some time in April,(three to four months leave), which fact is carefully ignored by the writer.
Non-story, sure, but a good piece of philosophy!
Keep it up, bru. I like your insights.
I am only too happy to pay for Hlophe’s long leave if it means keeping him in hibernation / we can do without the trail of chaos he seems to leave , when at work.
Another non-story…Chester Williams’ step-son got arrested for stabbing a police.
http://www.sport24.co.za/Content/Rugby/264/50cad986c0cf4a339237e85fc903faab/16-01-2010-01-45/Chesters_stepson_arrested
Who cares???!!!
Yet another non-story
http://www.mg.co.za/article/2010-01-16-yizo-star-held-on-suspicion-of-robbery
Yizo yizo star arrested for mugging. nowhere in the article does it mention who the idiot is…so much for nail-biting journalism
Only in SA could a political commentator say that this is un-newsworthy!
Jeepers – have we grown that cynical?
It’s not about the rules, FFS! It’s about integrity, hard work and a commitment to the public interest. It’s about respect for your colleagues who have been carrying you while you were away, respect for the people who pay your salary and who are bearing the brunt of crime – the people who need you back on the bench.
The real tragedy here is that this kind of thinking would never see the light of day in mainstream media.
Here’s the worst part of this; if this line of thinking were allowed onto prime pages, public servant accountability would become more than just the pipedream it is right now.