“No muthi for criminals” says cops

Traditional healers have been urged not to give muthi for protection to criminals as perpetrators will still be arrested or killed if shot by the police.

This was said by Alexandra Police Station commander Colonel Nhluvuko Zondi when giving an account of their challenges and developments after the station was chosen as one of the pilot Frontline Service Delivery stations in the country.

Zondi said many criminals sought illusory powers from traditional healers to defend themselves but, instead, were scammed by the healers and also either killed or arrested when committing crimes.

“We arrest many of them [criminals] with arm bands, body markings and other paraphernalia [that have] no power to stop police from fulfilling their duty of arrest,” Zondi said.

She urged the healers to rather report the criminals and also avoid the risk of losing the respect of ordinary citizens who also go to them for help.

Zondi said crime was still of concern, in particular, business, street and household robberies. These crimes were on the increase as were rape, murder and assault – although the latter had marginally reduced. She identified nyaope drug use as another problem. She urged parents or relatives of the addicted person to report them so that they could be referred for drug rehabilitation before they became hardened users. This would also stop families losing household items which the addicts sold to support their drug habit, she added.

Zondi said the station was on track for its official opening as a service delivery pilot. “Tiling, painting, fixing of structural damages, improvements to toilets, cells and the client services centre are nearing completion.”

She added that they were also making progress in training officers to improve their attitude and professional conduct towards the public, and to enhance the community’s buy-in of the police’s work.

Zondi said they would also conduct more anti-crime campaigns and school raids and improve police visibility in crime hotspots.