The elective meeting of the Alexandra Community Policing Forum (CPF) may have finally come and gone, but the robustness of the combat in pursuit of positions leaves one bamboozled.
The question that immediately comes to mind is: What is there to gain? My understanding is that CPF positions are voluntary, which means that you do not get paid for the services you render, not even a stipend, yet people seem prepared to kill to get there.
I was so dumbfounded by the combative approach that I asked one of the combatants what is in it for them. Why are people so aggressively determined to occupy monetary worthless positions when there are so many other paying positions to fight, kill and die for?
This ‘honourable’ CPF aspiring leader then whispered in my ear. “You don’t know nothing, wena. There is more to these positions than meets the eye.” But what are those issues because, to me, people don’t get paid for them. Is it just for the funny of it or simply to brag that you are the CPF chairperson and then put it on your CV, I asked.
“No, what is at stake here is not position per se, though it is a stepping stone to much bigger issues. The fight here is about this new and trending business opportunity called tenderpreneurs.
“If you are at the helm of these positions, because they are voluntary and you give of your time for no pay, the powers that be seek to reward you by offering you first preference to tender for any business opportunity within the State. This is what the fight is all about, government tenders,” said the aspiring CPF tenderpreneur.
I got to know as well that criminals, gangs and drug lords are said to pay big money to people in positions of influence in the crime-fighting arena as they seek to convince them to look the other way when criminals are in business. I also learnt that whenever a new, senior person in the crime-fighting environment is appointed, such as your commander of a station, your cluster commander, provincial and national commander, the first persons bearing gifts and knocking at his or her door to congratulate him or her, are members of the underground world.
So, it then all made sense why people were so acrimonious in their pursuit of worthless titles, it is these underlining benefits that people are willing to die for.
