A group of Alexandra residents peacefully handed a 22-point memorandum outlining their concerns and demands to the Alexandra Police Station yesterday.

The document details what the residents describe as failures by the local station, ranging from crime prevention to community imbizos.

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Presenting the memorandum, Ron Thobejani said the recent poorly attended imbizo was a vote of no confidence in the police. He also alleged that police fail to open cases, dockets have been lost, and gender-based violence cases are mishandled.

He further raised concerns about long queues for certification, drugs, missing persons, frequent gunshots at night, immigration enforcement, and the sale of illicit alcohol.

The group said these issues emerged during their door-to-door engagements with residents across Alexandra.

In the memorandum, the group demanded a written response from the police to the matters raised within seven days. It also requested 24 months of crime statistics within 14 days.

Thobejani said the group also wants the police to submit a crime prevention plan within 14 days, and to hold monthly community meetings on the first Saturday of each month.

Resident Patricia Nzimande said community members had told them that people go to the station to open cases and are given case numbers, but the cases are allegedly never resolved and end up going nowhere.

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“We wanted to get together as the community and bring our grievances to the police. It’s not that police can prevent people from dying, but they can come with plans to address crime,” she said.

Nzimande acknowledged that other memorandums had been submitted in the past, but said she believes this one will bring change.

Another resident, Paul Selepe, said the change the community is looking for is cooperation between residents and police officers.

Commander of Visible Policing Colonel Jerry Phaswana and other officers listened as the memorandum was read. They did not respond to any allegation or concern raised on the day. Phaswana received the document on behalf of Brigadier Vusimuzi Ngubane, who is on leave.

Phaswana said the police care about the community and are there to serve it. “Our mandate is to protect and serve,” he said. “We must create an environment where everybody feels safe.”

He said the station will respond to the memorandum within seven days.

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