Nhleko meets Khayelitsha residents
Khayelitsha residents told Police Minister Nathi Nhleko that some police officers were allegedly involved in criminal activities.
|||Cape Town - Khayelitsha residents told Police Minister Nathi Nhleko on Saturday that some police officers were allegedly involved in criminal activities such as drug dealing and car hijacking.
Nhleko was in the township to speak to the Khayelitsha Development Forum about the controversial commission of inquiry into policing in Khayelitsha.
Nhleko, who was invited by the forum, wanted to know the nature of the relationship between police and community.
Some speakers said the community did not trust the police – but others described their relationship as good.
Police recruitment was also called into question by a speaker who said known thugs in the area were recruited into the police, leading to a greater lack of trust.
Local businesswoman Buyelwa Godze questioned how police dealt with cases of rape and murder. “What happened to the case of a pregnant woman who was raped and shot?” she asked.
Godze was referring to the murder of Lindiwe Tiya whose body was found in Monwabisi Beach a few years ago with a bullet wound to her head and two bullets in her stomach.
SAPS Khayelitsha cluster commander General Johan Brand conceded that some police were involved in criminal activities. “We do have bad apples.”
Brand cited a robbery case at Khayelitsha Mall where a cleaner at a police station was involved and two cases where police officers were arrested in hijackings perpetrated by gangsters known as the Avanza and Quantum groups.
Brand also praised community involvement in policing
A member of the Khayelitsha Development Forum, Mzanywa Ndibongo, criticised the commission of inquiry, saying it had not consulted community members but had spoken on behalf of the community.
The commission was established by Premier Helen Zille and was given a mandate to investigate complaints relating to allegations of inefficiency of the SAPS operating in Khayelitsha.
It also set out to investigate a breakdown in relations between Khayelitsha residents and the police.
Nhleko said he was satisfied that there was a relationship between the police and the community. But, he added: “There is no relationship without problems.”
Weekend Argus