‘The president is soft on crime’: DA reiterates call for Ramaphosa to fire Cele

The Democratic Alliance (DA) has reiterated its call for President Cyril Ramaphosa to fire Police Minister Bheki Cele.

Quarterly crime statistics

This follows the release on Wednesday of the quarterly crime statistics between July and September this year.

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The crime figures revealed a double-digit percentage increase for murder (13.6%), attempted murder (19.4%) and assault with intent to cause grievous bodily harm (15.8%) against women.

In a statement, the DA’s spokesperson on police, Andrew Whitfield, said the latest crime stats confirmed that the bloodbath of violent crime remains out of control across the country with millions of people living in fear.

“Under Bheki Cele’s leadership of the South African Police Service (Saps), more people are being murdered, raped and assaulted than ever before while President Ramaphosa looks on from London and continues giving minister Cele his full support,” said Whitfield, referring to Ramaphosa’s visit to the UK this week for King Charles III’s first state visit.

Whitfield said when Ramaphosa was elected into office, he promised to halve violent crime within 10 years, but nothing has changed.

“He is now almost halfway through this ten-year period and violent crime has increased exponentially because the truth is that the president is soft on crime.

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“The DA has repeatedly warned the president that violent crime will not be halved with minister Cele at the helm of the Saps.

“How can it be that a minister is able to continue serving in this position when in the last 3 months 7 004 people were murdered and 10 590 people were raped? It is unconscionable that President Ramaphosa rewards minister Cele for his continued under performance.”

Violent crimes against women and children

Whitfield claimed Ramaphosa’s “soft approach to crime” was a declaration of war on women and children in South Africa.

According to the crime stats, 989 women and 315 children were murdered between July and September.

“Even more worryingly, if the murder and assault of our children was not enough, kidnapping in South Africa has increased by 101%, with 4 028 kidnappings occurring in the last 92 days.

“South Africa needs a wartime president, not a tea-time president! It is time for the president to put down his teacup, leave the palace and return to his people who are living in a permanent state of fear in a country which resembles a war zone,” Whitfield said.

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