Tshwane metro cops aim to handcuff the hands that help

We’ve seen this movie before in our capital city.

This week, the Tshwane Metro cops threatened to arrest volunteers from AfriForum who were fixing potholes – which the municipality has not.

ALSO READ: Don’t fix our pothole mess, Tshwane cops tell AfriForum volunteers

The cops were apparently sent because the volunteers did not ask for permission.

AfriForum, on the other hand, says the pothole in question had been reported to the City of Tshwane for repair multiple times over the past six months, but nothing had been done.

There is, undoubtedly, an element of AfriForum marketing in this campaign – what better way to recruit more donors and funds than showing you can get things done in society? – but the bottom line is that having community spirit should never be a crime.

ALSO READ: AfriForum welcomes arrest of alleged holiday swindler Francois Swart

Of course, this sort of thing is to be expected, because elections are just around the corner and politicians might be getting uncomfortable at the highlighting of the fact they are not delivering.

That this is a Democratic Alliance-led council, with a Democratic Alliance mayor, makes this even more remarkable, because this is the party which tells the world that, where it governs, things work.

Given the lack of funds and capacity in many of our cities and towns, officials must learn to accept those private helping hands.