Locals march in Cullinan against gender-based violence
Sergeant Connie Moganedi, spokesperson for the Cullinan police, said all complaints have been noted by the station management and will be attended.
Stakeholders, business representatives and community members from Refilwe, along with groups representing the aged and the LGBTI community, marched to the Cullinan Police Station on Thursday, September 15, to submit a memorandum of grievances to the station commander.
These grievances include gender-based violence, crime and the police’s reaction to complaints.
According to Partick Kutumela, community members of both Cullinan and Refilwe are tired of their “cries” going unheard by the local police officers when reporting GBV and crime, especially towards women and children.
Kutumela recalls one such instance on a local plot where claims were made that a farmer, assisted by foreigners, was allegedly mutilating and trafficking “unique” children.
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“When residents report these crimes to local authorities, the police shrug their shoulders, claiming they have limited workforce and vehicles available to assist victims and make arrests,” claimed Kutumela.
He claimed that a sergeant dedicated to dealing with these specific crimes is never available and does not return calls.
“The second concern is that police members are unaware of the difference between domestic violence and gender-based violence, and then when dealing with victims, are rarely able to approach it in the correct way, leaving the victim feeling like the criminal.
“Proper training and workshops are desperately needed to educate police officers in order to bridge this gap,” said Kutumela.
According to him, corruption within the police is a massive concern.
“Community members claim they have seen police officers taking bribes from criminals and blackmailing foreign business owners such as Pakistanis and Zimbabweans,” alleged Kutumela.
“I have to agree that in certain scenarios, they are proactive depending on who you are and how much money you have to make your problem disappear,” sighed a despondent Kutumela.
Sergeant Connie Moganedi, a spokesperson for the Cullinan police, said all complaints have been noted by the station management and will be attended to.
“The investigation is underway for allegations of trafficking,” Moganedi said.
