CCPF chairperson, councillors butt heads

A march against crime which failed to materialise led to a heated debate during the Cleveland Community Police Forum (CCPF) meeting last week.

Mr Godfrey Mothibe, the chairperson of the CCPF, took a lashing for a ‘badly organised event’, allegedly not communicating changes, comments he apparently made on the day of the march and obstructing traffic.

According to information published previously in the EXPRESS, the march was to begin in Blore Street on March 15 at 9am. People were to march to the Cleveland SAPS to hand over a memorandum. At a previous CCPF meeting, Mr Mothibe said all members of the community, including political parties, were invited to join the march.

However, on the day of the event, people who went to Blore Street found that proceedings had changed.

People found out they were to meet at Alexander Park.

In an article published following the march, Mr Mothibe said the DA attended the march on its own accord. He said they instructed their members to move ahead and accused the DA participants of being intolerant. According to him, he tried to tell them to wait for him and CCPF members but they went ahead.

At the time, Clr Da Rocha said the women’s forum proceeded with the march without Mr Mothibe, who was waiting at the police station. At last week’s meeting, he said the DA followed and did not lead the march.

Clr Penning said Mr Mothibe’s accusations were unfounded. “This march was badly organised. People were not given proper information regarding the time and venue change. We went looking for the place to assemble. I went to another venue then drove around and found out where to go. We consulted people and were told Mr Mothibe was at the police station.

“We were accused of going ahead with the march without the CCPF. It was after 10am. We did not break any laws. When Mr Mothibe arrived, he parked his vehicle and obstructed traffic. Then he shouted at everyone. We did not go there because of the upcoming elections, as implied. We were invited to attend and we did. No other party was there,” said Clr Penning.

Mr Mothibe said when the CCPF applied to the JMPD to host the march, the condition was to assemble at a particular place that was safe. This is why it was decided to assemble at Alexander Park.

Clr Da Rocha was livid. He said Mr Mothibe basically accused them of hijacking the march which was untrue.

“This was one opportunity for everyone, irrespective of the party they belong to and other differences, to join hands in the fight against crime and it was lost.

“When it comes to crime, everyone is affected. I asked the women’s forum where Mr Mothibe was and they said he was at the station waiting for everyone. We did not hijack anything. The CCPF held the march. We followed the women’s forum. I did not appreciate Mr Mothibe screaming at me and telling me ‘to go to hell’ when he saw me at the march,” said Clr Da Rocha.

Clr Da Rocha showed Mr Mothibe and other community members at the meeting a photograph of women’s forum members in front of the DA members, stating again that they led the march.

Mr Mothibe lashed back after accusations were made against him at the meeting. He said, “I am sitting here as the chairperson of the CCPF because of law. I did not call for photographs and exhibits. I preside as the chairperson. I want constructive meetings. Do not disrupt me. I want to make sure people behave at these meetings.” He also said that the CCPF meeting was not a council meeting where people could carry on any way they like.

He added that people need to behave maturely. “There were things done on that day that were not right. People need to accept that. My lesson is that political parties cannot be trusted in that way. So from now on, we will invite community members to marches and not political parties,” he said.

Clr Penning took offence to Mr Mothibe’s statement referring to a council meeting and asked him to withdraw his statement.

Restless members of the public stood up to voice their concerns at the meeting. Some wanted the CCPF meeting to continue with the aim of addressing crime and not ‘politics’. Mr Thulani Mngomezulu said, “Let us not be emotional. Criminals are taking advantage of us.”

He added that it would be best to have another march, which was suggested by the CCPF, after the national elections.

Another resident, Mr Mpumi Kubheka, wanted Clr Da Rocha to withdraw the photograph because “he had no right to show it to people”. He also said he was disappointed that the march did not happen as planned as he would have liked to join. “Let us now look at a way forward because crime is a problem. We cannot come here and fight. We have to come here to discuss crime and find solutions,” he said.

Clr Da Rocha said everyone needs to work together and show respect to each other. “Mr Mothibe’s behaviour on the day of the march was unacceptable. This is not the way a chairperson of a community police forum should behave. I would have let things go if he said there were misunderstandings and mistakes were made. We worked together well in the past and hope that we can continue,” he said.

Clr Penning said his intention, and that of other members, was not to offend anyone on the day of the march or break laws. “Respect must work both ways,” he said.

A day after the CCPF meeting, Mr Mothibe sent members of the public an email.

He thanked the public for their ‘mature behaviour and conduct during the course of the meeting, that could have gone wrong, out of hand and finally divide the members of the community and the CPF’.

He said that at the end of the meeting, people left with a smile on their faces and that what had happened on the day of the march was put behind them.