Faith in police service and law enforcement agencies could not be any lower as mass shootings put inept law enforcement in the spotlight.
Picture: File / The Citizen
Faith in our national police service, governmental law enforcement agencies and many corruption-linked politicians couldn’t be any lower.
The mass shootings in KwaMakhutha, Wedela and Lwandle last weekend and the 12 bodies of women that have been found in Ekurhuleni have put our inept law enforcement into the spotlight again. And rightfully so. It’s nothing new.
It’s the norm South Africans have become accustomed to. Corruption within the SA Police Service, little accountability and lack of resources means we are not winning the war against crime soon.
Sadly, it’s something we have been dealing with for a long time as high levels of violent crime have never been brought under control.
The policing of illegal firearms is not a priority and the conviction rate of perpetrators is embarrassingly low. Justice is rarely served.
Add to this few breakthroughs after explosive testimony at the Madlanga commission and you can’t be blamed for losing hope in SA’s law enforcement.
And learning that suspended police minister Senzo Mchunu has been getting over R3.16 million sitting at home since July last year is not going to change the mood.
Nor will hearing that Mchunu’s acting replacement, Firoz Cachalia, has also received just over R3 million in the time he’s been there. Why should we foot the bill while people are still murdered every day?
Ian Cameron, chair of the portfolio committee on police, said: “Mchunu’s R3.16 million pay is equivalent to the annual salaries of about 13 experienced detectives. Those resources could instead make a real difference in severely stretched Family Violence, Child Protection and Sexual Offences units investigating rape, child abuse and crimes against women and children.”
Condemning these crimes is simply not good enough. We all deserve better.
