MEC gets a load down of crime challenges in MP
MPUMALANGA - Motorists travelling on the N12 in the vicinity of Delmas and surrounds have been warned to be on the lookout for a gang, impersonating law-enforcement officers, who are targeting motorists on this route at night, robbing them of their vehicles and belongings at gunpoint. They travel in vehicles equipped with blue lights and are dressed in police uniforms. The logos on these vehicles are fake.
This warning was issued by Mpumalanga Community Safety, Security and Liaison MEC, Gabisile Shabalala during her visit to various police stations in the province today. The MEC visited the Delmas, Sundra, Phola and Vosman stations as part of an oversight initiative by her department. During the visits, the MEC was also briefed about the rising tension between the residents and farming communities of the Victor Khanye Local Municipality.
The Delmas SAPS also alerted the MEC to sporadic protests by communities targeting mining houses in the area to force them to employ locals. The police further informed the MEC that the local farming community did not feel that crime was being properly addressed in the area and was threatening to take the law into their own hands.
Other issues that were raised at the stations included the lack of volunteers at most victim-friendly facilities, as well as a shortage of staff and vehicles at most stations. Drug trafficking - especially in the Vosman area - also came under the spotlight, as police believe that drug abuse contributes to house robberies and other violent crimes.
The MEC urged the officers of the various stations to continue to work hard despite the challenges they face in terms of resources. According to Shabalala, cooperation between the farming and local communities was critical in order to preserve law and order. She condemned vigilantism in the strongest terms and urged farmers and communities to work together to curb crime. She also reiterated that the government will continue to mobilize all stakeholders in the fight against crime.
Editor: Anchen Coetzee
Subeditor: Lynette Brink
Submitted by: Moeti Mmusi