Cele must go: Police Minister once again proves his incompetence

27 September 2023

Bheki Cele, the Minister of Police, has repeatedly proven that he is incompetent for his position. Under his leadership, the South African Police Service (SAPS) has obviously weakened. He himself has been involved in corruption scandals – how can it then be expected that police officers at grassroots level will keep their hands clean if the SAPS’s political chief does not even do it?

The civil rights organisation AfriForum therefore once again demands this minister’s dismissal after Cele’s incompetence for this position was further confirmed. This follows after he announced this week that more than 7 000 police officers have been arrested over the past five years for crimes including murder, kidnapping, rape and transit robberies.

But of the thousands arrested, less than 10% have been successfully convicted.

The SAPS has long been fighting internal wars due to political interference and the involvement of its own members in criminal activities.

“There’s clearly a serious problem here. Either the National Prosecuting Authority is doing a dismal job of prosecuting SAPS members involved in crimes or SAPS members are arresting other SAPS members without good reason,” says Jacques Broodryk, AfriForum’s spokesperson for Community Safety.

“Corruption in the police force is also a major challenge, so I won’t be surprised if the prosecution rate is so low due to interference in investigations, dockets disappearing or witnesses being intimidated,” continues Broodryk.

To add fuel to the fire, the latest Global Organised Crime Index released on Tuesday showed that South Africa scored the seventh highest in the world out of 193 countries and the third highest in Africa when it comes to organised crime.

“The fact that Cele is still in his position as Minister of Police, is a clear indication that the ANC government prioritises its own cadres over the citizens of this country. Communities will have to get involved with civilian safety structures to help stem this tide of criminality,” concludes Broodryk.

Get involved with your nearest AfriForum neighbourhood watch by visiting www.afriforumbuurtwag.co.za.

Issued by Jacques Broodryk, Spokesperson: Community Safety, AfriForum, 27 September 2023