SA saw the worst in policing in 2021
“This is a special year for all of us. It is time for family and for enjoying quality time with those we love. For many of us, this is also the time to look back at the year we have been through – a time to reflect on the year that has gone by.” President Cyril Ramaphosa, addressing the nation on December 31.
Ramaphosa was at pains to explain to the nation issues which could have been averted or dealt with in a better way, had civil servants been up to the task before them.
Issues such as that the Covid-19 pandemic could have been better mitigated if we didn’t squander the money allocated to purchase PPE. Many police and citizens’ lives were prematurely lost as a result of maladministration of funds allocated to deal with the pandemic.
Only about 18 million South Africans are vaccinated as opposed to about 40 million, because we did not create enough awareness to help our citizens understand the importance of vaccinations.
The unrest which took place mainly in KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng provinces in July would not have taken place at the rate at which it did, if we had a readily available multidisciplinary approach to security matters in our country. This was confirmed during the South African Human Rights Commission interview with the national commissioner and the minister of police.
The commission sat to look at the causes of the unrest which damaged private infrastructure (about R92 billion loss), and about 300 lives were lost during the insurgency. A very disappointing show by SAPS senior management there.
The SAPS’s inability to quell state capture, which many people now believe was deliberately allowed to have a smooth transition to the already prepared pockets, is also concerning.
We hope in the first report to be issued by Justice Raymond Zondo on Tuesday this week, there are enough compelling reasons to deal with the culprits of the state capture decisively.
The Independent Policing Union of South Africa (Ipusa) wants to remind South Africans about (former police commissioner) General Riah Phiyega’s statement after the Guptas landed their flight at the national key point area called Waterkloof Airbase, where police officers’ 10111 vehicles were seen escorting them from the base in a properly co-ordinated way to ensure their safety to their destination.
At a press briefing by the security cluster, she said that she had opened a case against the security personnel who had escorted the Guptas as they had no permission to do so. What happened to that case?
It is Ipusa’s belief that the SAPS has a case to answer in regard to the landing of the Guptas’ flight at the national key point. We are looking forward to perusing the first report.
Crime stats issued recently showed a spike in all of the most dreadful contact crimes, such as murder, robberies (house and business), rape and car jackings, and so forth. New to these crimes is kidnapping for ransom purposes (about 2 000).
It is the police’s constitutional obligation to ensure safety and security to all the inhabitants of this country.
Where were South Africa’s watchers during this trying time? Surely not at the place where they were supposed to be as they would have been found? The president must boot these leaders out of the service.
We want to appreciate the presence of the army in the absence of the SAPS, who came in and saved South Africa from a coup d’état.
The commander-in-chief also showed South Africans his lack of trust in the SAPS to oversee the November 1 municipal elections by extending the presence of the army to deal with homeland security.
It is Ipusa’s view that the SAPS’ biggest problems are political in nature and that there are these national commissioners who failed to do what they wanted to do when (they were) in office, and are using the current sitting at Nascom (the National Commissioner’s office) to realise those goals.
We must depoliticise the service and professionalise it. Members who sit in positions in the service should be appointed on merit.
Unions have lost focus in their purpose to be the vanguard of the working class, and now find themselves providing support to those who are working against the rights of workers.
Ipusa will fight to the bitter end to ensure that the rights of the working class are protected.
That’s what the late Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Mpilo Tutu fought for: justice, freedom and peace. May his soul rest in eternal peace, knowing that there are people like us who will continue to fight for what he believed in.
He was fearless and refused to be handled by politicians, but continued to fight a political war to the advantage of political parties who had no voice at the time.
The whole world adored him, just like they did Nelson Mandela, for the role he played in our quest for freedom, justice and peace.
Ipusa is calling on all who are working in the security cluster, police, security, home affairs, metro and traffic, justice and correctional services, in Tutu’s spirit to work together as a team and defeat the enemy called maladministration and corruption. These disable the state’s commitment to the promises it made to its citizens.
Any official caught carrying out unlawful instructions from their seniors should not expect protection from the state, because they will be fighting against the state principle of treating its citizenry with dignity and respect.
Report this immediately, and you will see how this is going to have an impact on addressing South Africa’s problems today.
Go well, 2021, and allow 2022 space to show its capabilities to protect the lives and properties of all South Africans. We can do this without extra manpower by utilising the current human resources wisely and providing intelligence with the necessary resources they need to support departments to do their work without fear, favour or prejudice.
Ipusa believes that members have taken an oath of office to serve the interest of the state and its citizens, and not individuals.
We should therefore not take advantage of this authority bestowed on us.