PARKTOWN – The Management of the South African Police Service in Gauteng has noted with concern, the serious allegations levelled against the SAPS in relation to recent sporadic incidents of violence involving taxi operators in and around the Pretoria Central Business District, as well as alleged police involvement in drug-related activities.
On his deployment to Gauteng as Provincial Commissioner, Lieutenant General Elias Mawela in February 2019 adopted six priorities that needed (and still need) to be addressed as a matter of urgency towards bringing down the volumes of crime in the Province. Three of these priorities focus specifically on addressing organised crime; addressing the scourge of drugs and human trafficking; and addressing and rooting out corruption from within the Service.
To this end, Police have together with other law enforcement agencies in the Province including the Metro Police Departments, intensified operations such as O Kae Molao conducted weekly across the Province, where some of the significant successes made during the integrated operations, have included arrests for possession and for dealing in drugs.
Eight hundred and forty-two (842) suspects were arrested in Pretoria Central for possession and/or dealing in drugs, while three hundred and ninety-one (391) were arrested in Sunnyside since January 2019 to date.
The allegation of police involvement in drug-related and other corrupt activities cannot be denied given the number of officers that have either been arrested and/or dismissed from the Service for corruption since January 2019. The arrest and dismissal of police officers serve to reaffirm the commitment by the SAPS Management in Gauteng that police are serious about combatting fraud and corruption within the ranks, and rooting out criminals and corrupt elements from within the Service, in line with the SAPS National Anti-Corruption Strategy that was launched in June 2018. The SAPS has a zero-tolerance approach to any unethical and corrupt conduct by members of the Service. No one is above the law.
On 27 August 2019, Gauteng Public Transport and Roads MEC Jacob Mamabolo and Lieutenant General Elias Mawela engaged with representatives of the taxi industry at a meeting where the City of Tshwane was also represented. A joint committee was established to look into the violence that had erupted after the fatal shooting of taxi operator, Jabu Baloyi; as well as looking into allegations levelled against the police by the taxi industry in relation to circumstances surrounding the murder of Jabu Baloyi.
This joint committee was in no way set up to replace the existing coordinating structures of the SAPS such as the Joint Operational and Intelligence Structure (JOINTS) and the Crime Combatting Forum (CCF). The SAPS as a lead player in the law enforcement space uses various coordinating mechanisms that regulate the relationships with other law enforcement agencies in the Province. It is thus imperative that all stakeholders participate fully and leverage on these strategic platforms where joint planning takes place informed by the Provincial Intelligence Coordinating Community briefings, and feedback is obtained in relation to inroads made or challenges faced in as far as combatting and preventing crime is concerned.
Tshwane like the other four (4) Districts in Gauteng, also has a District JOINTS which is one platform where joint operations are planned and coordinated. The success of such platforms relies to a certain extent, on the commitment and participation by all key law enforcement agencies, including the Tshwane Metro Police Department.
Meanwhile, it is worth noting that the successes and arrests referenced earlier in the statement, including the arrests and dismissals of police officers suspected of fraud and corruption, were effected after police operationalised information and tip-offs received from members of the public. It is on this basis that police want to encourage members of the public to continue to collaborate with the police by forwarding information and tip-offs on criminal and suspicious activities in their areas.
At the same time, Police also want to caution the public to refrain from taking the law into their own hands as such activities often end up being criminal and people subsequently getting arrested.
Gauteng Police Commissioner, in assuring the public that police in Gauteng are serious about reducing the levels of crime in the Province said, “We remain resolute in our efforts to deal with corruption by our members and to restore public confidence in the SAPS. To encourage reporting, management of the SAPS and I have during our weekend community engagements, made public our cellphone numbers so that those who are doubtful of who to report to, can report directly to management. The contact details of the Station Management must be displayed publicly in the Community Service Centre at each police station and these should be used to the benefit of the communities.”