Young unemployed youths are running amok in the rural areas of the Eastern Cape.
Chief Landubuzwe Ngwekazi, chairman of the committee on safety and legislation in the Eastern Cape House of Traditional Leaders, was sketching the cause behind the rise in rural crime at a meeting held at East London’s Regent Hotel yesterday.
The session was called by the provincial police to gather comment from public stakeholders as the police compiled their next five-year rural safety strategy.
The meeting, attended by about 100 commercial farmers, community policing forum members, traditional leaders and senior police, led by provincial police commissioner, Lieutenant-General Celiwe Binta, heard that a police plan adopted in 2009 had expired last year.
Chief Ngwekazi said: “Our youths in rural areas are running around the streets causing havoc because they are not employed. They abuse alcohol and resort to killing our elderly women and children.
“We need to strengthen our crime policing forums to deal with these unruly youths,” he said.
Judy August, from the provincial department of safety and liaison, called for more action to defend women and children affected by gender-based violence.
“There has been an increase in the murder of women and children in rural areas. Muti killings are also a problem and most of our villages are stationed very far away from police stations. We fully support the idea of a new rural safety strategy,” she said.
In her response, Binta said 118 out of 196 Eastern Cape police stations were servicing people in rural areas.
However, the secretary of the provincial community policing forum board, Glen Gqweta, said police stations were under-resourced.
“For example in Mthatha, where I come from, you will see police officers neatly dressed, standing around the police station and doing nothing.
“When you ask them ‘Why did you wake up and come to work?’ they respond saying that they don’t have cars to travel to the villages,” Gqweta said.
He said police needed political support to combat the new criminal trend of land grabs in Mthatha.
“I don’t think this is the responsibility of the SAPS alone. Rural development must also come to the party to fight this new trend,” he said.
Major General Susan Pienaar, provincial head of visible policing, said police were still using a 2009 rural anti-crime strategy, which expired in 2014.
She said: “We need the best possible safety strategy for the benefit of rural communities. We must look at what did not work in the past and what must be included in the new strategy.” — zwangam@dispatch.co.za
Poor policing adds to spike in rural crime
Chief Landubuzwe Ngwekazi, chairman of the committee on safety and legislation in the Eastern Cape House of Traditional Leaders, was sketching the cause behind the rise in rural crime at a meeting held at East London’s Regent Hotel yesterday.
The session was called by the provincial police to gather comment from public stakeholders as the police compiled their next five-year rural safety strategy.
The meeting, attended by about 100 commercial farmers, community policing forum members, traditional leaders and senior police, led by provincial police commissioner, Lieutenant-General Celiwe Binta, heard that a police plan adopted in 2009 had expired last year.
Chief Ngwekazi said: “Our youths in rural areas are running around the streets causing havoc because they are not employed. They abuse alcohol and resort to killing our elderly women and children.
“We need to strengthen our crime policing forums to deal with these unruly youths,” he said.
Judy August, from the provincial department of safety and liaison, called for more action to defend women and children affected by gender-based violence.
“There has been an increase in the murder of women and children in rural areas. Muti killings are also a problem and most of our villages are stationed very far away from police stations. We fully support the idea of a new rural safety strategy,” she said.
In her response, Binta said 118 out of 196 Eastern Cape police stations were servicing people in rural areas.
However, the secretary of the provincial community policing forum board, Glen Gqweta, said police stations were under-resourced.
“For example in Mthatha, where I come from, you will see police officers neatly dressed, standing around the police station and doing nothing.
“When you ask them ‘Why did you wake up and come to work?’ they respond saying that they don’t have cars to travel to the villages,” Gqweta said.
He said police needed political support to combat the new criminal trend of land grabs in Mthatha.
“I don’t think this is the responsibility of the SAPS alone. Rural development must also come to the party to fight this new trend,” he said.
Major General Susan Pienaar, provincial head of visible policing, said police were still using a 2009 rural anti-crime strategy, which expired in 2014.
She said: “We need the best possible safety strategy for the benefit of rural communities. We must look at what did not work in the past and what must be included in the new strategy.” — zwangam@dispatch.co.za
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