Community threatens to ‘put corrupt cops in water and beat them’

The community of Finetown, south of Johannesburg, has threatened to “beat up police” if they continue to not fight crime in their community.

Community members were speaking at a community Imbizo hosted by Police Minister Bheki Cele at a local hall on Monday.

The imbizo comes after seven people were killed and four were injured during an attempt to rob the street vendors selling chicken feet. The community had complained about how police were allowing criminals to run riot in their area.

Community member Thabiso Thuputlela said it would come to a point where they will stop reporting crime to the police and take matters into their own hands.

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Thuputlela said they wanted to catch corrupt cops in the act and beat them up with sjamboks.

“We will put them in water and beat them up until they remember why they are police officers,” he said.

“The police do not know why they are cops anymore. It’s corruption after corruption and they do it in broad daylight. They take money from drug dealers while the community is watching.”

Another resident Thabiso Mokonyane asked Cele to allow the community to deal with crime in the area as the police were not helping them.

“We know who the corrupt police officers are. Please do not arrest us when we take matters into our own hands,” said Mokonyane.

Cele warned the residents not to attack the police, as this was a good call for criminals.

“I hope those who raise this are not sent by criminals to say this. The people who are saying they want to beat police should stop this call because you will be carrying sjamboks and the officer will be carrying a gun. It will not end well,” said Cele.

“We have established that people come into this imbizos, complain about the police and we later arrest them. Some of them are criminals and some of them are sent by the criminals.”

Cele said he does not believe all the police officers were bad people, however, there were those in their ranks who are rotten.

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Gauteng premier Panyaza Lesufi said their visit was not a public relations exercise.

“We will come to communities when we feel there is a need to come to the communities regardless of any activity,” said Lesufi.