Masiphumelele - Call for Calm and Cooperation

Statement by Dan Plato, Western Cape Minister of Community Safety

I welcome the safety interventions put in place by the South African Police Service (SAPS) in Masiphumelele following the recent increase in violence in the community.

That said, I condemn in the strongest possible terms the alleged vigilante attacks which occurred in Masiphumelele. Murder by any name remains a crime and murderers will have to face the full might of the law.

I call on the community of Masiphumelele to remain calm and to cooperate with the SAPS. I urge the community at large to come air their grievances and share the policing problems they face when I visit the community on Monday morning. Through my oversight mandate over policing in the province I continuously engage with communities on policing service delivery and where there is a lack in services received, it is taken up directly with the SAPS provincial management.

The Department of Community Safety deployed a team of officials to the Masiphumelele community last week to help understand the grievances within the community. Initial feedback from residents includes frustration with poor visible policing and I will take this issue up with the SAPS Provincial Commissioner. I continuously engage with the Provincial SAPS management on a wide range of issues impacting the safety in our communities and particularly on how to effectively detect, address and deter any type of vigilante killings.

I will also engage with the Provincial Commissioner on the Deputy Minister of Police, Maggie Sotyu’s, recent commitments to see long term resource interventions in Masiphumelele to alleviate the concerns of the community.

Safety cannot be created where people are responding to crime or alleged criminals by becoming criminals themselves.

All crimes have to be reported to the nearest police station for investigation. Communities should partner with the police and law enforcement authorities to help create safer environments. Where communities feel they do not receive the necessary safety service delivery, they should report it to either:

• The Neighbourhood Watch or Community Policing Forum to escalate SAPS’ intervention;
• The Office of the Western Cape Provincial Police Ombudsman where they feel a breakdown in relationship between the police and community are brewing; or
• The Department of Community Safety by lodging a complaint at 021 483 4332 or via email at policing.complaints@westerncape.gov.za or safer@westerncape.gov.za .

Safety is everyone’s responsibility and we all – communities, police, and the state – need to work better together to help ensure a safer environment for all. This requires the violence to stop; follow through on commitment’s made; and concerns to be addressed. I look forward to engaging with the community on their concerns on Monday.