Hero crime fighter Ian Cameron is entering politics. In this interview with BizNews, he speaks about his motivation for joining the Democratic Alliance (DA) and heading to Parliament. He also gives the assurance that he will remain involved in the civil rights work he has done for the past 15 years – and that he will continue to monitor the cases he has worked on. “I think we’re at a very dangerous place in South Africa where the police, the police’s wheels, for all practical purposes, have come off, in my opinion, and we need to find any way and means possible to try and influence that.” Cameron believes a mixture of civil action and more direct policy influencing through a parliamentary process can make a broader spectrum impact.
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Relevant Timestamps from the interview
00:00 – Introduction
00:34 – How this big move came about?
03:44 – Who is going to fill your shoes now?
05:22 – Cases that you will never forget
07:56 – Conclusion
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Highlights from the interview
His motivation for going into politics:
“…over the last year and a half, I’ve spent a lot of time, not directly with the DA as such…but with people in local and provincial government and really working together on so many different initiatives, mostly in the Western Cape. And just over a year ago…I actually had the discussion with my wife, should I get more involved or not…
“…in the last eight to ten months, I went through the confidential candidate process…and then last week I received the news that I am likely quite electable…there’s still a few smaller things that need to be sorted out, but in short I am on the list for National Assembly…
“…and I decided to make the jump and there’s a specific reason for it: I think the last 14 almost 15 years I’ve really put in an tremendous effort on ground level to make an impact in terms of violent crime for people across the board in South Africa…And I think we’re at a very dangerous place in South Africa where the police, the police’s wheels, for all practical purposes, have come off, in my opinion, and we need to find any way and means possible to try and influence that.
“In the civil rights space, we’ve done a lot, but I don’t know if that can be enough. And I don’t think everything can necessarily be changed overnight, I know it can’t, but I know that a mixture of at least what I’ve been involved with over the last few years and doing more…direct policy influencing and so forth through a parliamentary process can make a broader spectrum impact.
“And then decided that I think the DA is the body with which and with whom I would like to take on that journey with.”
Read more: Ian Cameron breathes fire – accuses ANC of turning SA into a “slaughterhouse”
Staying involved in civil right work:
“I’m gonna stay as involved as I possibly can. Obviously things will change, but I’m gonna stay as involved as I possibly can. With the existing cases that I am working on at the moment, I’ll also stay involved. And the DA already said that there’s no issue with that.
“I think for me, fortunately and unfortunately, many of these cases have become so personal, I am very grateful for the relationships that I’ve built with the families and I wouldn’t have it any other way but in terms of unfortunately it means that you can’t be everywhere at once so that could be slightly challenging.”
Keeping an eye on the cases he has worked on:
“I will continue to try and monitor them as far as I can. And my team, in terms of the investigation side, feels like a family. So we still speak almost 24-7. We’re in contact and share information and so on. And I really hope that in the future that can continue, and maybe, just maybe, with a different platform, there’s a way of having even bigger influence to help them get the job done.”
The impact of his move on Action Society:
“In terms of the investigations and Action Society side everything’s going on as per usual. They’ve got the investigation team…things are going ahead. Obviousl…there will be changes and it will take some time for everyone just to find their feet but that’s normal…change happens in organisations and I think it’s a matter of time, a very short matter of time actually, for them to just gain their momentum again and then continue as per usual.”
Read also:
Ian Cameron gets justice for Liezel de Jager
Ian Cameron: Bheki Cele’s fedora at the helm – The decay of justice and democracy in South Africa
I won’t “Shut up”, Cele! – Ian Cameron on “political police” & persecution for speaking truth to power….
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