Ikageng fed up with vigilante activity

Ikageng resides under a reign of terror enforced by vigilante groups referred to as safety forums.
Resident Tshepo Chempe and others decided to stand up for the community as these vigilante groups caused pain and sorrow for residents.
A resident explains that, from their point of view, the station commander is at the root of the problem. “The station commander started on 1 May 2022. He said that within three months, he would have resolved the issue of these vigilante groups. But it has only gone from bad to worse.”
According to Chempe, the community handed a memorandum of grievances to the police on 12 December 2023 and asked for feedback by 29 December. The main request of this community memorandum was to remove the station commander. “We haven’t received any feedback. Groups are going around beating people, killing people and then saying they work with the police,” Chempe said.

According to another resident, Kabelo Prince Lombard, one of these groups murdered an Ikageng resident on 13 November 2023. The deceased’s mother referred to the culprits as the Tornado Group.
Brigadier Mokgwabone Sabata confirmed the incident and stated that six suspects were arrested and appeared in court where they received bail.
“How can that be? How does the station commander allow mob justice?” an enraged Tshepo asks. “There are people from the CPF who endorse criminal activity. If they are familiar with the person committing the crime, they do nothing about it. But when they don’t know the person, everyone hears about it.” The resident adds that a signed petition for the removal of the station commander was handed in on 12 December along with the memorandum, but nothing had changed.
Tshepo continues to say, “People sell drugs in the comfort zone of the station commander. People commit crimes in the comfort zone of the station commander. If you find a station commander who does as he pleases, you cannot hear the community.”
Police spokesperson Colonel Adéle Myburgh stated that the station commander at Ikageng spoke to vigilante groups about community-based crime prevention initiatives, like the Community Police Forum (CPF). “They have made numerous arrests, and some cases are still in court. It is important to mention that mob justice or vigilante incidents are very difficult to police because eye-witnesses do not cooperate with the police, in some instances, due to fear,” explained Myburgh. She went on to say that a provincial drug task team was established and is currently operational in Ikageng. “A total of 81 drug-related cases were reported during the 2021/2022 financial year and increased to 89 cases during the 2022/2023 financial year. From 1 April 2023 to date, 86 cases have been registered. The increase is an indication that police are working hard to combat drugs in Ikageng,” Myburgh says. “The police cannot function optimally without the support of the community. The police need the community to report incidents of crime, assist by giving eyewitness statements and testifying in court for justice to be served. The community elects the CPF structure annually during the Annual CPF meeting. This structure was established to improve police-community relations,” Col. Myburgh adds.
“Police management is committed to rendering a professional service to the community. If anyone is dissatisfied with police conduct or service, they can contact the district commissioner or the Provincial Service Complaints Desk at 082 856 0995.