Do you know who I am?

Suitcase and blazer in hand, the man walks up to the airport information desk and, in an authoritative manner, demands to board a flight - for which he is late - to Cape Town. The clerk tries to tell him that the plane has left and that she could arrange a later flight.

But the man wants none of this and says: "This is a business class ticket. Do you know who I am?"

This is the scenario of a popular television advert where the clerk takes mild revenge on the arrogant man and announces over an intercom: "Ladies and gentlemen. May I have your attention, please? There's a gentleman here who doesn't know who he is. If anyone is able to assist him, please report to the information desk urgently."

Clever! But this isn't how things work in reality. Some of our leaders use this tactic when in hot water, and instead of being reprimanded, they are treated with kid gloves. They receive the kind of treatment that ordinary citizens can only dream of after any wrongdoing.

George Orwell, in his book Animal Farm, says: "All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others." And in the case of Ekurhuleni metro police chief Robert McBride, former commissioner of correctional services Linda Mti and Pretoria High Court Judge Nkola Motata, it begs the question whether South Africa is being run like Mr Jones's farm.

Mti allegedly used the same words as the advert - "Do you know who I am?" - after he smashed into Abe Mashile in November.

Mashile told the Saturday Star that Mti had been so drunk that he fell to the ground and slept until the police arrived. He was let off on a warning and hasn't appeared in court.

The Mail & Guardian reported how Minister of Agriculture and Land Affairs Lulama Xingwana "hijacked" a seat on a South African Airways flight in April last year. Xingwana allegedly "muscled an SAA passenger off her business class seat", "stormed" through the boarding gate and "hijacked" seat 1F when she discovered she had been removed from Flight SA570 from Durban to Johannesburg.

Steve Galane, spokesperson for the Department of Agriculture, retaliated and said the M&G article had made serious insinuations that bordered on character assassination, disrespect for the truth and blatant defamation.

In 2003 Health Minister Manto Tshabalala-Msimang "freaked out and hurled insults" at a fellow passenger when she found out that the man had refused to sit next to her because he accused her of being "responsible for the deaths of thousands of Aids victims".

German businessman Jens von Wichtingen said he was repeatedly yelled at by Tshabalala-Msimang, who eventually followed him to his new seat, continuing the tirade. "I was trembling of fear," he said.

German and South African media widely reported on the minister's "crude and uncontrollable behaviour" and how she allegedly told the German national to "f*** off".

Also in 2003, Susan Shabangu, the Deputy Minister of Minerals and Energy Affairs, reportedly lifted her skirt "in frustration" at O R Tambo International Airport after she activated a metal detector and was then told she would be physically searched.

She allegedly shouted at security officer Benny Edwards when he tried to calm her down. Edwards told her that the only people exempt from searches were the president, the first lady and presidential guests. Edwards was later fired by the Airports Company South Africa after being found guilty of bringing the company into disrepute and "causing the minister to lift her dress".

Edwards laid charges of crimen injuria against Shabangu, but the National Directorate of Public Prosecutions refused to prosecute.

An angry Edwards said: "It seems politicians are above the law in South Africa. This decision has politics written all over it and sends a worrying message to the ordinary man."

Late last year, Collen Msibi, the transport department's spokesperson, announced that "senior government leaders are allowed to exceed the country's speed limits". This came after it was reported that his minister, Jeff Radebe, and his motorcade had been seen speeding.

Ironically, Radebe had minutes earlier launched a national road safety project, where he had said 75 percent of road accidents were caused by speeding.

Msibi added that "convoys are allowed to exceed the speed limit if there is a security risk" - although he couldn't say what exactly the security risk was on that particular day.

Last month, McBride crashed his car near Pretoria. Witnesses have claimed that he was intoxicated when the accident happened.

But instead of being arrested, he was whisked away by his Ekurhuleni metro police colleagues - and no tests were done to determine his sobriety. In addition, eyewitnesses claimed they were intimidated by McBride's subordinates.

Police have said they are investigating only charges of reckless and negligent driving. McBride has not appeared in court.

More recently, Judge Motata, who was arrested last Friday on allegations of drunken driving after he crashed his vehicle into a wall of a Johannesburg home, also hasn't appeared in court. Witnesses said he was drunk, abusive and had resisted arrest. Six audio clips and edited transcripts purporting to be exchanges between Judge Motata, the homeowner and metro police appear on the Sunday Times website.

In them, a man identified as the judge says: "I know the law... Ja, you mustn't look at me as a black man... Anybody who insults me, I say f*** you."

The homeowner, who said eight people were present, tells him: "It is my opinion that you are drunk, yes, because you smell of alcohol... "

In a fourth clip, the man said to be Judge Motata comments: "If people take my keys, why should I co-operate with you... I don't have to co-operate. No, no. F*** you."

The judge is expected to appear in court on January 27.

The Saturday Star spoke to two opposition parties and asked them what they thought about the behaviour of their fellow MPs.

The Democratic Alliance's Dianne Kohler-Barnard said: "We are indeed seeing the evolution of a culture of entitlement which ensures that those in positions of power are automatically protected against their own worst efforts, and we have to fight this move with every last breath.

"We cannot sink back into the apartheid-era culture with goons beating up anyone who saw something distasteful... Our democracy is precious, and we cannot allow it to be tarnished in this fashion."

Independent Democrats leader Patricia de Lille said it was a shame that high-profile people did not get the same treatment from law enforcers when they committed crimes.

"We are all supposed to be equal before the law. If a high-profile person commits a crime, the best thing to do is to bring that person before a court immediately.

"This could act as a deterrent for ordinary citizens. But unfortunately, here it happens the other way around," said De Lille.

Aeyasha Kajee, a board member of Transparency International SA, had a different view on the matter, saying this phenomenon was not restricted to South Africa.

"It used to happen a lot more during the apartheid regime - but nobody knew about it. Thankfully, now we have a free media. The media can inform the public of our leaders' behaviour.

"There is a perception that corruption is on the rise in this country and, given our history, we expect our leaders to be more accountable for their actions," said Kajee.
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