Minister Bheki Cele needs to focus on fighting violent crime

Minister Bheki Cele has been on a power trip across the Western Cape this week, demonstrating a single-minded obsession with beaches.

The Western Cape Government believes that the rule of law in South Africa must always be upheld, and the regulations must be enforced even if we disagree with them.

However, it is increasingly clear from his ‘media tour’ in the Western Cape that the National Minister is significantly more passionate about arresting surfers​, than arresting gang leaders in the Cape Flats and other communities across South Africa.

This is also confirmed by his latest public utterances that SANDF officers would be deployed to beaches in the Garden Route, where, by his own admission, adherence to the regulations has improved.

I am concerned that Minister Cele’s media visit might be redirecting already planned and important law enforcement activities in vulnerable communities, that experience high levels of violent crime.

Of course, all regulations need to be enforced until otherwise struck down by a court of law, but it would do the National Minster well to broaden his focus from beaches and also zone in on the violent crime that many of our communities currently experience.

I will be raising my concerns with the National Minister directly.