LETTER: Criminals are doing as they please
A well-known author and resident writes a letter saying the minister of police is underperforming and should have been fired a long time ago.
• Thabile Mange writes:
Recently, the deputy president appeared before parliament to answer questions about the criminal justice system. He was evasive, as usual.
When asked if he’s happy with the current Minister of Police’s performance, he said he’s satisfied. In other words, he is saying Bheki Cele is doing well in terms of combating crime. I’m sure the deputy president lives under a rock.
In South Africa, crime has spiraled out of control. Criminals are doing as they please. Even the police are afraid of them. If this is a good performance of a police minister, then I don’t know what good performance is. But the truth is: that Cele’s performance is lukewarm.
Not long ago, the minister of transport was robbed and the guns of her bodyguards were stolen. That’s how bold criminals have become. They are even robbing high-profile politicians who are heavily guarded. That means ordinary citizens, who have no bodyguards, are an easy target.
Last week only, I heard about four robberies. One was carried out in Kagiso. The number of robberies (that occurred last week) could be more. This shows that our country has become lawless and criminals are running the show. Is that an indication of the good performance of a police minister? Not at all.
Now criminals invade the houses of citizens and rob them. They take their cellphones, laptops and other valuables. However, their main target is the bank apps: They force victims to transfer their hard-earned monies to their accounts.
A home is regarded as a safe space. However, recently it has become a hot crime spot. People live in fear in their own houses. And the minister of police has no strategy to deal with this kind of crime. Yet he is said to be a high performer.
It is an open secret that we are not safe in the hands of Cele. The minister of police is like a toothless dog … he talks hard but does not bite. And the criminals are aware of that. So, they ignore what he says and continue with their criminal activities with impunity.
Therefore, I’m surprised that the deputy president says he is satisfied with Cele’s performance. The truth is that the minister of police is underperforming and should have been fired a long time ago. And the deputy president is aware of that. He is shielding him because he is a comrade.
