Johannesburg - The difference between calling a person a chimpanzee instead of a gorilla may have saved South Africa's newly appointed National Police Commissioner, Mr Jackie Selebi, the indignity of being prosecuted in court, writes Patrick Laurence.
Mr Selebi is reported to have abused a police sergeant, Ms Jeanette Mothiba, by describing her as a "f. . .ing gorilla" when she failed to recognise him at a Pretoria police station. But the Independent Complaints Directorate has found that Mr Selebi referred to her as a "chimpanzee". The head of the directorate, Mr Neville Melville, says that term "chimpanzee" is not commonly used as an insult.