DA barred from visiting OR Tambo Police Station
After being stonewalled twice, the DA vows to return week after week.
Representatives from the DA were stonewalled on Tuesday, for the second time, when they tried to conduct an oversight visit at the police station at OR Tambo International Airport.
“No preparations were made for the oversight inspection and we were given the run-around,” said Jacques Julius MP, DA Team One South Africa spokesperson on immigration.
He was accompanied by Michele Clarke MPL, Gauteng provincial legislature member for community safety.
“As public representatives, it is our constitutional obligation to make sure the police are held accountable. Today, again we were barred from doing our constitutional duty,” said Julius.
The DA had visited the airport last week Friday and agreed to return this week to allow the authorities to prepare to engage the DA officials. Upon returning on Tuesday, however, even with advance notice of the parties who would be present and the purpose of the visit, the DA was once again met with stonewalling.
Julius said: “The airport sees drugs worth millions of rands smuggled every year. While drug-related cases at OR Tambo have decreased from a peak of 704 cases in 2009 to just 77 this year, cases in the neighbouring community of Kempton Park have increased from 121 in 2009 to 458 this year.
“These numbers clearly suggest that the failure of security measures at OR Tambo International Airport, which is fueled by collusion between corrupt officials and criminal syndicates, is resulting in an exponential increase in the number of drugs making their way into our communities.
“At OR Tambo we also know from a previous oversight visit that they are operating at only about 50 per cent capacity in terms of vacancies, which is horrendous given that it is one of the biggest airports, not only in South Africa but a hub for the entire continent.
“I believe we were blocked from conducting oversight because the police here has something to hide,” said Julius.
“It is worrisome that last week KwaZulu-Natal’s acting police commissioner issued a circular instructing SAPS in the province to ban the DA from conducting oversight in the province. It seems as if this circular may also have reached Gauteng.
“We will not stand for it. We will return to the airport next week and every week thereafter until such time as the SAPS demonstrates a proper respect for our Constitution and the rule of law,” said Julius.
