Durban — The DA in KwaZulu-Natal said that under Police Minister Bheki Cele, the SAPS had become dysfunctional, and called for Cele to be axed.
The DA KZN spokesperson on Community Safety and Liaison, Sharon Hoosen, said if Cele remained in his position KZN would continue to endure a high crime rate, and that people in the province lived in fear.
“The current system of managing and operating the SAPS is an absolute embarrassment.”
Hoosen said the SAPS operated in an environment where most police stations were in a state of dilapidation, were understaffed, had poorly trained personnel, and were poorly resourced.
“Telephone lines do not work, vehicles are in garages for minor repairs for more than 12 months at a time … there is an increase in unfilled vacancies. How can a province take the SAPS seriously with so many challenges that will never be resolved?”
Hoosen said criminals had more resources than the police and were more tech-savvy than SAPS officers.
“To date, the SAPS operates with outdated computers and telephone systems. What value is the current minister of the police serving our province?” she said.
One of Cele’s staunchest critics, Ian Cameron – the civil rights organisation leader who was kicked out of a crime imbizo by Cele a few weeks ago – told the Daily News that Cele had failed to implement basic policing in communities.
“Apart from his silly statements in the media, he is failing to ensure that there are basic services rendered to the people. The DNA backlog is over 300000 cases behind at the end of July. We are waiting on the report for August,” Cameron said.
“Stations don’t have the proper equipment for rape victims, counselling is not up to standard. There is a general failure on the part of the minister. Each day over 160 women are raped and these are only reported cases. I certainly believe that he needs to be sacked.”
Cameron added that the SAPS needed an urgent turnaround strategy to become more responsive to crime.
Cele’s spokesperson, Lirandzu Themba, said: “The president addressed these calls recently during the Q&A in Parliament when he said: ‘Yes I do have confidence in the minister of police in his ability to continue to lead our fight against crime. As it’s been said before, the president hires the minister of police and he is the only one who can dismiss him.’”
Last month the EFF reiterated its call for Cele to resign.
The party said Cele’s “insensitive, uncouth and re-victimising of the women who were gang-raped by men in Krugersdorp” was unbecoming for a minister of police. Cele allegedly stated that a 19-year-old woman was lucky to have been raped by only one man.
EFF spokesperson Sinawo Thambo said: “The ANC government continues to show women disdain not only through statements but by its members’ actions. As a minister of a crucial department in the country, Cele’s first response and reaction to GBVF and other issues facing women must always be from a position of self-interrogation and introspection.”
In August, Women For Change started a petition in which it said that under Cele’s leadership of the SAPS, the rates of gender-based violence and femicide (GBVF) and murder in the country had continued to increase.
Women for Change’s petition has so far been signed by 12 000 people in favour of Cele being sacked.
The NGO listed the following as the reasons why Cele should be removed as police minister:
- 67 people are killed every day.
- 24 865 people were murdered in 2021/22.
- One woman is murdered every 2.5 hours.
- 898 women were murdered between January and March 2022.
- The femicide rate in South Africa is five times the global average
- 41 695 rape cases were reported to the police during 2021/22, yet it is estimated that more than 95% of sexual offences go unreported.
- 10 085 police officers have been charged with murder, rape, and assault since 2012. Only 50 police officers faced suspension.
- The DNA backlog stood at more than 300 000 unprocessed cases due to Cele’s mismanagement.
- Minister of Justice and Correctional Services Ronald Lamola confirmed that 96 785 Schedule 8 offenders (perpetrators of violent crime) have been released on parole since 2016 without submitting a DNA sample.
- South Africa has several laws and policies that aim to address GBV. It is the responsibility of state organs and the SAPS to ensure that all people are adequately protected.
Daily News