Plato condemns acts of vigilantism to curb crime
COMMUNITY Safety MEC Dan Plato has condemned the continued acts of vigilantism in Masiphumelele and has urged residents to work with the police.
Yesterday, Plato conducted a safety oversight visit to the township, walking from the taxi rank to the community hall. He then met with community leaders and residents to discuss their concerns about crime in the area.
Earlier this month, a group of residents went on the rampage, allegedly killing a man and then stoning police. The chaos erupted after the murder of a 14-year-old teenager. Three vigilante killings were committed within five days.
Howard Mbana, ANC branch secretary, said: “As a community, we take matters into our own hands because we feel police are failing us.
“The people who are involved in these vigilante attacks are young people.
“Because of circumstances, they don’t have much to do but talk. They were concerned about issues such as service delivery, overpopulation, and unemployment. These are all linked to the high crime rate in the area.”
“Plato has promised to come back to Masiphumelele to deal with the unhappiness in the community”.
Neighbourhood watch deputy chairman Raymond Jantjies said: “We are not saying that the vigilante attacks are right, but people have resorted to mob justice because the police take far too long to respond to crime.
“We end up being called to attend to a crime scene that we are not trained for but we do it because we have no choice. Government intervention is really essential in these matters.
Pastor Patrick Diba said his biggest fear was that vigilante attacks were out of control.
“If any of the legal methods fail, then the community will resort to what is working for them. The scary thing is that currently the illegal method is working. I urge government to tighten up safety and prevention measures,” he added.
Lakwekwe Blom said that as a pensioner, he found it difficult to report crime because he had to travel by taxi to the police station.
“The satellite police station is not working for us and the Ocean View police station is too far. I do not have the money to travel to Ocean View each time I see illegal acts taking place.”
Plato said: “Vigilantism is part of the wrong mindset and it should be corrected.
“People should not kill. If you kill someone, you become a murderer and the law will have to deal with you accordingly,” he said.