The sharp rise in serious crime incidents in South Africa is symptomatic of the crisis in which the SAPS leadership finds itself, Dr. Pieter Groenewald, the FF Plus chief spokesperson on Police, says.
Car hijackings, robberies at residential properties and businesses have increased by 14,9% in the past year, according to Nathi Nhleko, minister of Police.
Dr. Groenewald says the longstanding leadership crisis in the Police as a result of political appointments, such as Riah Piyega, as well as investigations which show that it involves personal actions, is one of the main reasons for the worrisome increase in crime.
“The FF Plus has for a long time warned about factors such as poor training, discipline, and maladministration which leaves the dedicated police officers without any resources.
“Minister Nhleko’s comments that he is worried about the rise in crime, is as implausible as his attempts to try and explain the swimming pool at Nkandla.
“Competent people should be appointed to leadership positions in the Police, including the minister.
“In the meantime, urgent measures should be instituted to address these serious crimes with earnestness and urgency.
“Although statistics indicate that the number of farm murders has declined, it is only statistics until the end of December 2016. If it is taken into account that in February alone, 17 people were killed during 40 farm attacks, it points to an unacceptable increase in farm murders.
“South African citizens cannot be left defenceless to criminals in the safety of their own homes and businesses,” Dr. Groenewald said.
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