Police top brass have visited the border-lying community of Manguzi in KwaZulu-Natal amid protests against crime.
Police Minister Fikile Mbalula, together with the South African Police Service (SAPS) National Commissioner, General Khehla Sitole, on Friday visited the rural community following requests for a meet with police leadership.
The Minister used the visit to get first-hand information from the people of Manguzi on what their concerns are and how SAPS can intervene.
Guided by their leaders, the community called on government to intervene in reducing motor vehicle theft and general crime in the area.
The community’s concern was centred on cross-border crime, where the South Africa-Mozambique border is vulnerable to criminal activity.
Having listened to their concerns, Minister Mbalula reiterated his understanding that people’s protests are not isolated from the challenges experienced by the police in fighting crime.
The Minister promised to return on 16 February with a strong response and intervention.
“Our people are not protesting for the sake of it. They do so because there is a real concern and their government must listen to them.
“The people of Manguzi have been complaining about cross-border crime. The theft of motor vehicles in the area is a serious concern that needs strong intervention from the police,” Minister Mbalula said.
He applauded the community for exercising their democratic right to protest and urged them to allow kids to go back to school and businesses to operate.
“We need to seek and find these syndicates and arrest them as they are the root cause of our problem. We need a multifaceted approach to government’s security cluster response to strengthen our anti-crime strategy at the border.
“The community is already on-board, further placing emphasis on community partnerships in our fight against crime. Above all, we need to meet with our neighbouring countries on the border, specifically Mozambique. We will come back to the area in two weeks with an integrated plan that brings all these aspects together,” Minister Mbalula said. – SAnews.gov.za
