PRETORIA, SOUTH AFRICA APRIL 26: Minister Fikile Mbalula during an interview in his office on April 26, 2017 in Pretoria, South Africa. (Gallo Images / Sunday Times / Simphiwe Nkwali)
PRETORIA, SOUTH AFRICA APRIL 26: Minister Fikile Mbalula during an interview in his office on April 26, 2017 in Pretoria, South Africa. (Gallo Images / Sunday Times / Simphiwe Nkwali)
Police Chief Fikile Mbalula has somewhat gone off-script with his crime-fighting rhetoric over the last few days.
On Friday, he made it clear he wanted his newly re-established Tactical Response Team to ‘crush the balls’ of Gauteng’s underworld kingpins. Fresh from authorising a few maimings, Flik went one better yesterday afternoon.
He was addressing a media gathering in Cape Town’s informal Marikana settlement. In the last three weeks, a staggering 23 murders have been reported in the area. This culminated in 11 gang-related murders on Friday alone.
Fikile Mbalula goes after Philippi ‘tsotsis’
He has personally brought in a new station commander (Colonel Bongani Mtakati), and drafted in officers from Gauteng to help restore the peace to Philippi residents.
Fikile Mbalula was in no mood for diplomacy. Speaking in isiKhosa, he attacked the crooked cops that had been serving the area, and vowed his men would clean up corruption. Although, he didn’t specify who’d be cleaning the cells once they’d finished with the criminals.
“I know it is difficult for you because sometimes you think you are reporting crime to a police officer and it turns out the person behind the counter at the police station is another criminal.”
“After reporting the crime the criminal turns around and uses a cheap cellphone to inform the criminals that ‘we are coming’. We will arrest those tsotsis‚ including those inside the police station until they sh*t themselves. They won’t escape. I have met with the police‚ I don’t work with the backstabbers.”
Actions will speak louder than words
Mbalula’s increasingly bellicose words are certainly sending a message to South Africa’s criminal underworld. But this is a results business, and Fikile Mbalula will be judged on the actions of his men and women.
The Chief’s new unit have already got to work by going after two notorious twins in the area. One has already been arrested, and they ‘are on to’ the other one.
Is this the sort of tough policing South Africa needs? Or will an abrasive approach only lead to more reckless criminal activity? We would love to hear your opinions on this one. Head over to our Facebook comments section to let us know.
