Cele admits to security failure at Tata’s gig
Victims of FNB mayhem urged to go to any cop shop
Police minister Bheki Cele has admitted that the failure by police to respond promptly to the muggings of revellers may have worsened the situation after the Global Citizen Festival at the weekend. Cele gave an update on cases opened following chaotic scenes outside the FNB Stadium where people on their way from the concert were attacked and robbed of their belongings.
He confirmed that 15 suspects were arrested and 50 cases had been opened. Cele, however, denied reports that there were no police officers stationed at the event but admitted that the response could have been better.
“We dispute the narrative that no police members were in sight,” he said.
“We concede that the inadequacy and lack of prompt response of the police may have exacerbated the situation and presented an opportunity for criminal activities.” Cele said the safety and security committee planning did not extend to the Sasol garage about 3km from the stadium where most of the chaos unfolded. He said traffic congestion and the fact that people could not access cellphone networks created a situation where most people moved towards the garage.
“However, unforeseen circumstances like failure of traffic management and congestion of mobile networks pushed fans to the garage which resulted in a chaotic situation,” Cele said.
Cele said six of the 15 people arrested where directly linked to incidents of common assault and theft which took place near the garage while the rest were arrested earlier on Sunday.
He encouraged people who were victims of crimes after the event to report their cases at police stations in their areas. Cele urged police not to turn people away and register cases even though the crime happened in another area.
He said the criminal attacks should not take away from the success of the concert. “Unfortunately unforeseen incidents occurred, which is
very regrettable.”