DA hands over memo to police demanding intelligence sharing

DA leader Mmusi Maimane and Joburg MMC for public safety Michael Sun are at the Johannesburg police station to hand over a memorandum of demands urging the national government to deploy an emergency budget to deal with the outbreak of xenophobic violence in Gauteng.

Maimane outside the station called for the minister of police, Bheki Cele, to immediately increase the number of SAPS public order officers and also streamline intelligence sharing from government to cities.

“I’m calling that there be much more effective intelligence gathering and intelligence sharing. Often cities don’t have the intelligence to know where to anticipate these acts of violence when they occur.

“Intelligence sharing cannot be a secret anymore. Our call is that intelligence needs to be brought closer to the ground so that we can be so much better at anticipation,” Maimane said.

The memorandum makes a call for better communication between national, provincial, and local government.

Maimane said: “The police manpower is simply not capable of dealing with this particular matter. We have now become alerted that hostels may become the next target.”

Sun added that national government should work with local government in order to ensure stability in the country.

He claimed “we have not been receiving intelligence” information that was needed by local government to combat violence.

[Videos filmed by Tracy Lee Stark]

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