Zuma visits ‘SA’s murder capital’
PRESIDENT Jacob Zuma says he is satisfied with the briefing he received from the Nyanga police management about crime in SA’s murder capital.
Zuma visited Nyanga police station yesterday to listen to the challenges the police are facing. This is ahead of his meeting with the justice cluster to discuss crime in the country.
The township was ranked among the country’s top seven crime hot spots. The two areas with the most murders were Nyanga and Gugulethu with 279 and 184 murders respectively during the last financial year. The president expressed concern that the province was seen as the capital of drugs.
Zuma committed government to assist the police station and ensure that there was a co-ordination in the criminal justice system to increase the level of prosecution, as there were complaints that criminals do not get prosecuted.
Zuma received the briefing from Nyanga police station commander Vuyisile Ncata and cluster commander Moses Memela.
They told Zuma that police in the area were grappling with drugs, murder, car-jacking and other human contact crimes and that there was lack of communication between themselves and the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA).
Zuma said: “Firstly as you know the reports indicated that crime is very persistent in these areas, generally. We are trying to find ways on how to handle crime. Can we think differently to reduce crime.
“If we are to protect citizens, we cannot sit with it or live with it, side by side with crime.”
He said he felt it was important for him to get the views of the police officers who have experienced and who have been in areas where crime high. “One of the issues that has come up very clearly is the question of drugs, liquor which they referred to those as the source of crime. What can we do to reduce the source of the crimes? I believe we need to sit
down and discuss a new strategy, or enhance the strategy we have to fight crime.
“We need to find out what is it that we can do, should we strengthen the force of the law or should we look at something else.”
He said there had been a view that perpetrators of crime were treated better than the victims in the community and that it should come to an end. Ncata told Zuma that suspects have “too much rights” and the courts listened more to the side of the accused.
“For us it is very difficult to arrest and, of course, I don’t want to sound controversial or that I don’t respect the rights of the accused or the perpetrator, but we also have clients to service and they want us to make arrests,” said Ncata.
Zuma added: “I have had a very useful discussion with the police officers, as to their own observations, which is generally shared by the police.
“They are easily out and make it even difficult for cases to proceed. At times they interfere with the witnesses.