eMbalenhle community nominates own CPF interim structure

Different community structures met at the eMbalenhle Police Station and nominated the new Community Policing Forum (CPF) structure on Thursday, May 12.

These community formations decided on this action, claiming that the current CPF is not functional.

They also felt undermined by CPF members who were invited to be part of the meeting but failed to avail themselves.

Tony Mabizela, who chaired the meeting, said both the chairperson and deputy forwarded apologies through the acting station commander, Lieut-Col Bafana Dube.

“We see that both of them do not respect the community whom they claim to represent.

“They had volunteered to be elected to the CPF to represent us as a community in the fight against crime.

“Now that it is time for accountability, they are not available,” said Mabizela.

“As eMbalenhle residents, we are faced with a high rate of crimes such as rape, murder, gangsterism and gender-based violence.

“We wanted reports from them (the CPF management) on these crimes, but they are unavailable,” said Mabizela in May.

The community structures agreed not to accept the apologies and decided to elect an interim structure that will prepare for the election of a new CPF structure.

Lieut-Col Dube told those at the meeting that he attended the gathering to listen to their concerns and to take them to the station commander and the CPF.

He felt that the interim structure should only be elected once he has met with the involved parties.

He was told that the CPF is a community structure and it does not need police approval if changes needed to be made.

The new interim structure was elected and was given seven days to work out a programme of action.

However, Tebogo Nkgoku, eMbalenhle CPF deputy chairperson, said their structure is still legitimate until the end of its term and will continue with its programme.

Nkgoku said their office did not receive an invitation to the meeting and he only received a call from Col Dube.

He said the CPF is a legislated structure and that the community structures should follow the legal procedures if they want to dissolve it.

“We don’t know those people who now call themselves the CPF interim structure.

“The only people with whom we had met before, are the Ward 20 community members who raised their concerns about crime.

“The eMbalenhle CPF is legitimate and there is no interim structure.

“If those community members have concerns about us as CPF, they can forward their grievances to ether to the district or provincial level,” said Nkgoku.

Recently, the interim met with the eMbalenhle station commander, Colonel Maria Sibanyoni where she told them there are procedures to be followed before a CPF committee can be disbanded.

Col Sibanyoni also told them that the current CPF committee’s term is five years. They are currently in their second year and it is still too early to measure their performance.

The group that refers to themselves as the interim structure vowed to approach the Mpumalanga Department of Community Safety, Security and Liaison (DCSSL) to intervene because they believe the station commander is favouring and protecting certain CPF members.

“We are now in talks with the department because we realised the station commander is biased.

“The CPF is a community structure and doesn’t take police instructions, but works with police to fight crime.

“As the interim structure that has been elected by the community, we want the DCSSL to come and listen to the community,” said David Mahlangu, the deputy chairman of the interim group.