The Minister of Minister of Community Safety, Albert Fritz, is demanding greater policing resources for the Western Cape in light of a number of murders which took place over the past weekend.
The Minister has indicated that the Department of Community Safety will be proactive in assisting in bringing perpetrators to book.
Reports indicate that over the weekend, four people were killed in Wellington, while police are investigating the disappearance of four people in Mfuleni. It is alleged that the disappearance of the four is linked to a case of mob justice. While searching for the four, police discovered the bodies of two unidentified victims who are not part of the four.
In a separate incident, the body of a 27-year old woman was also discovered in Paarl, while the local community also allegedly destroyed a suspect’s shack and his car.
Minister Fritz said, “we refuse to normalize the criminality we see on our streets. We refuse to become desensitized to it. The crime on our streets is outrageous, and as the Provincial Government we are demanding greater policing resources in the Western Cape so that the SAPS can be more effective in fighting crime.”
Minister Fritz: “we are determined to bring down these figures, and we are going to fight every fight that we have to in order to do just that. Practically, I am going to instruct my department to follow up on all these cases as far as we can in terms of our current powers. We have an advocate who works with gender-based violence cases in the Court Watching Brief Unit, and my hope is that he will assist in attaining justice for that woman. And our LEAP Officers are going to continue their work of bringing greater visible policing to our communities. But we need more SAPS resources in this province. That remains the unavoidable reality.”
In terms of national policing policy and legislation, policing is a competency of the national government, with provinces limited to playing an oversight role. Provincial governments have no direct function in the management and operations of policing in South Africa.
Minister Fritz continued, “constitutionally, the National Police Minister must set policing policy, but the Constitution also says that the Minister must take the policing needs and priorities of the provinces into account when forming policy. And so we don’t understand why the inputs of provinces are being ignored, as is presently the case. The Minister sits in Pretoria and we have to face the people. We can’t explain constitutional powers to grieving mothers when they look for answers from us about why criminals are running rampage in our streets. Things can’t go on like this.”
Minister Fritz concluded, “I want to extend my sincere condolences to the families and friends of all victims. I want to say that, as your Minister of Community Safety, I am really troubled by your suffering. You deserve better.”
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