Cele met with insults by angry residents in Soweto

With the vacuum created by the law enforcement agencies’ ineptitude being filled by vigilante group Operation Dudula, now allegedly responsible for the death of Elvis Nyathi, disgruntled Pimville residents were not pleased with the presence of Police Minister Bheki Cele on Wednesday.

Kgomotso Diale was allegedly also killed and seven other Pimville residents wounded when they tried to confront cable thieves.

With more than 15 cars in Cele’s cavalcade as he made his way to the Diale residence to offer his respects, he was met with chants of “he must leave” and “his time is up”.

Political analyst Levy Ndou said law enforcement was aware cable theft was a major issue, but was unable to fix the problem.

According to Ndou, the government should have presented solutions to the problem a long time ago, but has failed to do so.

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“This is why you have other groupings developing in society that are doing what government should be doing – because they have identified a gap that government is not able to fill,” he said.

Ndou said the law enforcement agencies, including the criminal justice system, frustrated citizens because they were never assisted properly.

“Citizens will report cases to the police but nothing happens and the very same people who are the continuous victims of crime end up taking action because government is seen not to be doing anything,” he said.

Political analyst Ralph Mathekga added the government had failed to be present in people’s lives and had lost legitimacy. Mathekga said the organisations which grew out of frustration believed they were ensuring the safety of communities.

“Their absence has led to quite huge risks,” he said.

As Cele tried to promise Pimville residents their cries were heard and he would implement necessary changes, the community made it clear they were not sold on his words.

To ensure “peace and stability”, the police tried to cover the house with a crime scene tape, but residents aggressively ripped it off and said the police thought people in townships did not know how to act properly.

“How do you close off a home that is in mourning as a crime scene,” residents angrily asked.

A member from Dudula, who introduced himself only as Thabang, said the government needed to face these issues.

He said this was not about Dudula and its leader Nhlanhla “Lux” Mohlauli but, rather, about the suffering constantly endured by the community, which now led to lives being lost.

“The system has failed us and we have had enough. We might be intimidated but will not be shaken,” he said.

“Pimville has been in existence for 106 years but we have nothing to show for it.”

Cele said he was aware the lives of the residents were being disrupted every day by people who felt entitled to commit crimes which would affect residents’ livelihoods.

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“It was important that the police took charge in addressing these issues concerning local and foreign criminals … the Pimville police precinct needed more tools to combat crime,” he said.

“If [there] are people who are in South Africa illegally or committing any crime, the police need to strengthen their hands in dealing with them. We will not allow people to harm others.”

Cele promised the arrest of those accused of killing Diale within 48 hours.

As he was talking, Eskom and City Power teams were disconnecting dangerous illegal electricity lines and stripping homes of their illegal connections at the Chicken Farm informal settlement in Kliptown, Soweto.