SACP’s Solly Mapaila says Cele’s detractors have no solutions, puts blame on ‘lack of resources’

The South African Communist Party (SACP) says the call for Police Minister Bheki Cele’s head were unwarranted and blamed a lack of resources for the country’s lawlessness.

This came days after the quarterly crime statistics released on Friday which revealed a worrisome increase in murders committed between April and June 2022.

The SACP general-secretary, Solly Mapaila said he did not agree with those who have been calling Cele to vacate office.

Cele’s detractors have not brought tangible alternatives on what they would do differently from what he has done, Mapaila said.

ALSO READ: Getting rid of Police Minister Bheki Cele won’t solve crime problem

“Those who are saying Bheki Cele must go have never provided any solution to the table. Let them put the tangible solution on the table. We want to organize our communities to defend themselves.

“We want austerity measures to ensure that the police can have enough resources to protect our communities. Where does the individual come in there,” the SACP general-secretary said.

“The problem is that when there’s a problem in this country we blame a minister and we do not look at the system.

“The issue is that the police are under resourced, we need more resources, it is not him who takes that decision to under-resource the police,” he added.

Not only the system is problematic, but budget constraints as wll, according to Mapaila.

Mapaila was speaking at the Ruth First memorial lecture in Johannesburg City Hall on Sunday, after party members marched from Constitutional Hill against gender-based violence.

This year marks the 40 year anniversary since Ruth First was killed in Mozambique.

“She was killed in August, so we felt we could dedicate this women’s month and this brutalisation against women to remember her,” he said. “She is one of us,” he said.

NOW READ: ‘Cele out of his depth as Police Minister’, says EFF as Western Cape govt seek more policing power