We are concerned to learn that the Minister of Police, Bheki Cele, has refused to correct his misleading statement made on Friday, that the Western Cape is the most resourced province in terms of policing.

Any person who lives in an area with a high murder rate, especially in the Cape Flats, knows that this is not true. This claim is deeply insulting to our poorest communities, which are in desperate need for more policing resources.

The truth is that we have an unacceptable police-to-population ratio in many of our crime hotspots, and that the under-resourcing in these areas has not been adequately corrected by the National Government, despite our consistent calls for this to happen.

If the National Minister of Police is not willing to acknowledge this very serious problem, we can only assume that he doesn’t have a plan to address it.  

As part of our Constitutionally mandated oversight role, we will therefore be embarking on a series of oversight visits to police stations in communities that have been left behind in terms of policing resource allocation. 

The information gathered will be used to supplement our report on the policing needs and priorities of the Western Cape, which is sent to the National Government. In terms of the Constitution, these reports must be taken into account when determining policing policy.

I understand that Minister Cele has also already agreed to accompany Members of the Western Cape Provincial Legislature on similar oversights, and we would support him doing so. It is important for him to get out and see for himself the very serious under-resourcing that continues to plague our poorest communities, so that we can fix it once and for all.

Issued by Western Cape Community Safety, 11 October 2021