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A crime victim was told to find his attackers himself before police would act—just another day in South Africa.
Image for illustrative purposes. Picture: Gallo Images / Frennie Shivambu
Back in the “flower power” era of protests against the Vietnam War, American hippies used to carry posters which said: “Help the cops. Beat yourself up…”
But in present-day South Africa, the land of “you cannot make this up” stories, those who are supposed to be policing our country want us to do their work for them.
Diphapang Mahata, from Trichardt near Secunda, was assaulted by people who broke into his house… not an unusual story in this crime-ridden place we call South Africa.
When he opened a case at the local police station, the cops told him to do their job – and find his attackers.
After that, they promised, they would arrest the culprits.
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A police officer even directed him to go to various drinking spots and eavesdrop on conversations to get clues about who might be responsible for the assault.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, Mahata was not surprised, pointing out that cops in the area never move a muscle when the complaints come from poor people or township areas.
We would add that the perception among many citizens is that cops in most parts of the country are not really interested in bringing criminals to book.
What is the point in having the police at all?
