Here are three facts you probably didn't know about Jackie Selebi:

• He began his career as a school teacher.
  
• He had no police experience prior to becoming the commissioner.
  
• He won a human rights award.

Jacob Sello Selebi is a fascinating and contradictory character and before his appointment as South Africa's national police commissioner, his reputation was squeaky clean. So clean, in fact, that it shone.

Human Rights Award

The Human Rights Award which Selebi received from the International Service for Human Rights in 1998 came at the end of a three-year stint as South Africa's Ambassador and Permanent Representative to the UN.

While the concept of human rights is still relatively new in the history of the species ? having only been formalised at the end of World War II ? there is the sense that the recipient of such an award must be deemed worthy beyond reproach.

Article 1 of the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights reads: "All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood."

It is not surprising therefore that the majority of South Africans feel betrayed by the man who less than ten years ago was honoured for upholding these ideals.

His apparent lack of 'conscience' and 'spirit of brotherhood' is all the more treacherous considering his custodianship of the values and laws enshrined in our Constitution.

Looking back over his rather illustrious career ? which includes four years as a representative of the World Federation of Democratic Youth, a stint at the helm of the ANC Youth Section, the repatriation of ANC exiles from around the globe and a brief period as director-general of foreign affairs ? his fall from grace is all the more baffling.

An Mbeki man

Somewhat unsurprisingly, considering the president's affinity for foreign affairs, Selebi is an Mbeki man. Prior to succeeding George Fivaz as police commissioner in 2000, Selebi ? pitted against Tokyo Sexwale ? was Mbeki's preferred candidate for the chairmanship of the PWV (now Gauteng) branch of the ANC.

Garnering international respect, Selebi seemed to excel in this role. His speeches as president are filled with encouragement, vision and noble ideals.

At the 19th Interpol Asian Regional Conference in April 2006, Selebi had the following to say on the matter of corruption.

"Interpol believes that corruption diminishes the ability of law enforcement agencies to accomplish their mission and hinders the efficient and fair functioning of society. This is particularly so when corruption influences law enforcement itself.

"In fact, it is one of the major obstacles in a successful campaign against transnational crime and terrorism. As transnational crimes, and particularly terrorism, can be facilitated by police corruption, a corrupt law enforcement officer obstructs the pursuit of justice and, as a result, renders law enforcement ineffective."

The irony is inescapable. Although it would be another seven months before Selebi's friend ("finish and klaar") Glen Agliotti would be arrested on charges of murder and drug-trafficking, the National Prosecuting Authority alleges that the corrupt relationship between the two dates back to before Selebi's term as president of Interpol. Selebi is alleged to have taken bribes from Agliotti and supplied the underworld boss with confidential police information.

Even if (and at this point it appears to be a very big if) the charges against Selebi prove to be unfounded, there is still the question of competence. If ? as he claims ? Selebi had no knowledge of his friend's criminal activities, he does not deserve to hold the position of commissioner. If he is unable to detect criminal activity in the behaviour of someone with whom he has a personal relationship, then he is hardly equipped to head up the organisation dedicated to doing so on a national scale.

A tarnished reputation

Selebi's seemingly impeccable credentials, his history in the ANC and the party's desire to have a black police commissioner may explain why he ? with no experience whatsoever of the workings of the police service ? was appointed commissioner over a potentially more suitable candidate who had risen through the ranks of the system.

Mbeki's faith in his chosen commissioner was so entrenched that even after information regarding Selebi's relationship with Agliotti had filtered into the public domain, he continued to express his confidence in the man and appealed to South Africans to trust him on the matter. Seemingly oblivious to the damage to his own faltering reputation, Mbeki's faith seems unshaken by the fact that formal charges have been laid against the man, choosing to grant him 'extended leave' instead of sacking him as he did his deputy president Jacob Zuma.

From the outset, the role was not one which sat comfortably with the former diplomat. He sparked an outcry when he initially refused to don the police uniform and before his tenure had even officially begun (30 December 1999) he managed to alienate two members of the police service to the extent that they lodged complaints with the Independent Complaint Directorate.

'Bladie voken chimpanzee'

He allegedly insulted a female sergeant who didn't recognise him by calling her a 'bladie voken chimpanzee' and intimidated another sergeant by threatening to fire him over a dispute which occurred five years previously between the sergeant and Selebi's uncle.

Although Selebi received little more than a slap on the wrists for these incidences, they set the tone for a custodianship which would be marred by apparent incompetence (perhaps a guise for corruption) and controversy. His apparent indifference to the public perception of soaring crime rates and his proposal to legalise prostitution and public drinking for the duration of the Soccer World Cup in 2010, did little to bolster national faith in his competency.

Selebi's remarkable ascent as a diplomat striving for the betterment of humankind is matched only by his spectacular fall from grace. Few can claim to have simultaneously done so much and so little to promote human rights. Unfortunately, the true measure of a man is not how he treats wealthy drug-lords, but rather how he treats those who have nothing to offer in return. And here, it would seem, Selebi has failed dismally.