Nigel CPF loose key members

Goolam Patel (deputy chairman) of the Nigel Community Police Forum (CPF) handed in his resignation letter and 36 day shift members followed suit on November 21.
The disorder within the CPF comes on the heels of an internal political battle between executive members and the CPF chairman, Craig Cornish.
Prior to the national election earlier this year, Cornish was elected as a candidate for the Gauteng Provincial Legislature. This bound him to run an active campaign which legally enforced him to submit a leave of absence letter to the CPF during this period.
“I submitted my leave of absence, temporarily handing over my responsibilities to the executive board, who were guided by SAPS Nigel”, Cornish said.
According to Patel, the responsibilities received were channeled to the executive board with the Gauteng MEC for Safety and Security overseeing all activities.
“In the past year, I have been involved in many different facets of policing and have worked with dedicated police officers who have shown they are more than capable of fighting crime under the correct leadership”, Patel said.
“Unfortunately, my relationship with Cornish became strained to such an extent that I feel I cannot effectively fulfil my mandate in either positions (CPF member or deputy chairman) and thus will be a disadvantage to the community I serve”, Patel added.
Cornish said Patel’s widespread involvement made a positive impact, but he made decisions without consulting the executive board.
“All executive members need to consult the executive structure before taking action. This is where Patel fell short in some instances”, Cornish explained.
According to Patel the executive board members were not always available for approval.
SAPS Nigel’s spokesperson W/O Madeleine von Wielligh said the resignations came as a surprise.
“Since the inception of the CPF in 2013, it has been effective in monitoring police performance, liaising with residents plus arranging regular public meetings as well as disseminate crime and provide advice on security”, W/O Von Wielligh said.
“Our trust in the CPF has not left us, but internal issues between patrolling units and executive members will need to be addressed”, W/O Von Wielligh added.
“I will miss the CPF and its members, but refuse to be part of a dictatorship which shows total disregard for the good men and women who don’t just sit back and accept, hence my resignation. I will not be dictated to by those who wish to discredit others in an attempt to further their own agendas. We were not in it for the titles. Our work in the community will continue”, Patel stated.
“I truly hope Patel will withdraw his resignation as his dependability and dedication is somewhat scarce”, Cornish stated.
The general feeling is that Patel did more than what was expected of him and played a monumental role in the establishment of the CPF.
SAPS Nigel will meet with remaining executive CPF members on December 2 to discuss the way forward.
The next executive board election is set to take place during March or April.