Crime Intel

Mbhele wants Police Minister to pull up his socks

Shadow Minister of Police, Zakhele Mbhele, said the only person that could stem the South African crime rate was Minister of Police Fikile Mbalula.

Shadow Minister of Police, Zakhele Mbhele, said the only person that could stem the South African crime rate was Minister of Police Fikile Mbalula.

Mbhele, who is a staunch critic of the Mbalula administration at the Department of Police, said the onus was on the Minister to make sure that the South African Police Service (SAPS) was adequately resourced.

Mbhele's comments come in the wake of a visit to the Nyanga Police Station, which he felt was a harrowing reminder of how little capacity the SAPS had, as it continued with its war against crime. It is a war that the police are nowhere close to winning.

Crime in the Western Cape is under the spotlight once again, and all the relevant stakeholders are playing the blame game. For the Democratic Alliance (DA), which governs the Western Cape, it is the national government that has failed to deliver on its mandate.

The national department insists that it has a firm handle on crime, but Mbhele and the DA are not convinced, by any stretch of the imagination.

"The fact remains that the SAPS are chronically under-trained, under-staffed, under-resourced and under-equipped," said Mbhele this week.

"This is one of the main reasons why the SAPS is not a professional service that can effectively fight crime and keep South Africans safe," added Mbhele.

Minister Mbalula is highly active on his twitter feed, a tactic which Mbhele is particularly critical of, as he feels it does little to actually fight crime. The Shadow Minister does not believe there are enough tangible results forthcoming.

"At the end of the day, the Minister of Police, Fikile Mbalula, is the one who decides on where resources for the SAPS are allocated.

"Minister Mbalula would do well to step outside of his Twitter universe and ensure fit-for-purpose top brass in the police," added Mbhele.