MATSULU – Residents from this area have had it with crime and inadequate police visibility in their neighbourhood.
They recently marched to Matsulu Police Station to submit a memorandum of demands to the provincial commissioner, Lt Gen Bethuel Zuma. The memorandum was accepted on behalf of Zuma by Lt Col Queneth Mbuyane. They also demanded a response within 21 working days.
Mbuyane told the residents they would have to be patient with the SAPS in resolving the issues they were faced with.
Among others, the residents demand the restructuring of the police station by upgrading the leadership from the rank of captain to lieutenant colonel.
They want the station leadership to employ proactive teams to the hot spots in the area, especially at night. They also demand the increment of police officers in the station and at least a monthly operation by the tactical response team (TRT)
“We have been observing numerous occasions of ignorance leading to serious acts of crime by both community members and members of the police service of which we demand an action to be taken to correct the acts,” said Mr Robert Sambo from the South African National Civic Organisation.
The community members also allege that lazy police officers would often disconnect the free telephone line at night to avoid reporting to crime scenes.
According to locals, the current station could not accommodate all four sections in the area and they wanted Zuma to provide them with a satellite station in Matsulu B.
According to Sambo, they felt that the fight against crime did not only lie in the hands of the police and they wanted the SAPS to give them power to combat crime.
He said the community was disappointed and felt let down by what they called corrupt officers who they alleged exhorted bribes from vulnerable members of the community who desperately needed help from them. They claimed that the officers would sometimes rent out state vehicles for private jobs.
Some recovered goods were said to disappear under the eyes of the police before they were taken to their rightful owners.
One community member, Ms Joyce Mashaba, said she believed it was the duty of the police to play a humanitarian role to women who were victims of domestic disputes.
“There are females who go to the police station desperately asking for assistance after they have been sent away at night by their husbands,” said Mashaba.
Violence erupted on Monday morning when residents closed down the road to the area in protest for water and electricity. It was later reopened when Mbombela Local Municipality mayor, Mr Sibusiso Mathonsi addressed the people. Mathonsi also promised to respond to the residents’ grievances within seven working days.
Click on the links below to read more about protests in Matsulu
Locals call on municipality to deliver
