During a recent imbizo on crime, hosted by SAPS at Saulsville Stadium, residents in the west of Pretoria aired out their grievances in the area.

The imbizo, held on January 31, was attended by top police officials, such as the Provincial Police Commissioner, Lieutenant-General Tommy Mthombeni; Deputy Provincial Commissioner, Major-General Fred Kekana; and Tshwane District Commissioner, Major-General Samuel Thine, among other officials.

Stakeholders from different CPFs, Home Affairs and Correctional Services departments, and the Liquor Board were also in attendance.

During the community engagements, several residents put authorities in the hot seat.

Common gripes included a lack of visible patrolling, a lack of police vehicles, and corrupt police officers in cahoots with criminals in the area. Other topics included stipends for CPF volunteers, gun violence, drug-use, unsolved cases, distrust in local police station management, and difficulties in reporting and following up on cases, among many others.

The recent mass shootings in the areas were also a point of contention during the discussions. Twelve people were gunned down in Saulsville this past December, and 13 were injured. In another incident, five people were shot dead in Atteridgeville just over a week ago.

One such resident, Thabang Mofokeng, stressed that the absence of the municipality was a point of concern, as better intergovernmental relations are needed to successfully stamp out crime.

“The most important component missing is the city. We thought that the municipality would take seriously what is happening in Atteridgeville.

Mofokeng said when they confronted the police about why it hadn’t been dealt with earlier, they were told that it isn’t the police’s responsibility but the municipality’s. He demanded that the city manager must also attend the imbizo.

“Part of why this crime is ongoing is because we’ve been promised we’ll formalise informal settlements for years, and nothing has changed,” Mofokeng said.

Another resident, Madala Kekana, expressed his disappointment that the representatives from the Justice Department were not present, as a lot of the community’s issues concern corruption within their local police.

“We have issues regarding GBV, and crime rates are high. We also need help regarding high-mast lighting as well, especially in Atteridgeville.” Kekana said.

Saulsville resident Yvonne Leeu said their community has a large issue regarding protecting their children from the impact of crime, particularly in their local schools.

“Let’s protect our kids at school. Currently, it’s a jungle over there regarding crime, and we can’t do anything. If you report, you disappear. That’s the nature of the environment we’re living in.

Leeu added that shops selling toy guys that look like real ones were part of another problem.

“A person can break into your house and rob you using a toy gun,” Leeu said.

Ward 3 councillor Malesela Rakebe said that until something gets done regarding crime, Pretoria West, Atteridgeville, and Saulsville will continue to suffer the results of unchecked lawlessness.

“Our community and societies no longer have faith in SAPS, and that should be a call for concern. Another reason is that community members can feel that coming here and speaking out is suicidal, because after leaving, they can go home and be killed. This happens because of our community police,” Rakebe said.

Rakebe said police are well-aware of the drug dealers in the area.

“The reason that there are carjackings is that there are a lot of scrapyards in Pretoria West. These scrapyards get their licences from the police. The metro will say it’s not our issue, talk to the police. Until something is done with the crime in Pretoria West, I don’t think crime here will end. We can’t complain about Pretoria West forever; it’s a hub of crime, and something must be done,” Rekebe added.

During his address, Lieutenant-General Mthombeni agreed with community members over the need to bridge the gap between police and residents, but also urged attendees to remain compliant with the law, despite their frustrations.

“Let’s take care of the services put in place that are meant to take care of the community. We must change to say we are working together; incitement for community violence is a problem. Wanting to burn down a police station when the community service centre is there won’t help anyone,” Mthombeni said.

Kekana urged attendees not to let their frustrations override their emotions and make a bad situation even worse.

“We are concerned about the crime within this policing precinct, as the SAPS. We recovered weapons linked to the Saulsville shooting during a raid with the Deputy Commissioner and District Commissioner. The people who helped were the community. We got a revolver and a pistol. It goes to show that if we don’t work together, crime affects everyone,” Mthombeni added.

Kekana agreed that intergovernmental relations need to be strengthened going forward, and requested Crime Intelligence look into the allegations of police officers taking bribes.

He also encouraged the community to report these cases, as they can only thrive when both parties involved are in agreement.

Mthombeni said the Integrated Crime and Violence Prevention Strategy (ICVPS) will help police going forward by tackling crime at the root before it can spread.

The ICVPS hinges on the six pillars of crime prevention: effective criminal justice, early intervention, victim support, integrated service delivery, safety through environmental design, and active community participation.

“We’re in a marriage, whether you like it or not, we need each other. There will be times we need the community’s help, and there will be times you need our help. We admit whatever we are not doing right, and we are saying we are ready to work closely with the community,” Mtombeni concluded.

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