Irony of ironies, Jacob Zuma is making a name for himself as being tough on crime.

Irony of ironies, Jacob Zuma is making a name for himself as being tough on crime.

Folks might be raising their eyebrows after his recent pronouncements on limiting the rights of accused criminals, for he has used every legal measure he can to keep himself out of court.

And this week he reiterated another oft-stated position that the justice system is too soft on criminals.

Now he asserts that Jackie Selebi should be replaced as national police commissioner.

Selebi is on leave until his legal problems are resolved after being accused of consorting with Mafia dons and participating in their schemes.

Our president-in-waiting clearly saw no contradiction with his statement earlier in the speech that "the Constitution of this country does not say if you are charged you cannot take [the] responsibility of being a leader".

Zuma justified Selebi's ouster by saying that having an acting commissioner for too long would undermine the government's determination to fight crime.

And we are right behind you on that one, sir, whatever ironies and contradictions your assertion brings to light.

We need a police commissioner who can lead the fight against the scourge of crime full-time. And only someone perceived to be cleaner than clean has the moral authority to head that campaign.