DA KwaZulu-Natal Legislature Chief whip, Zwakele Mncwango, has expressed extreme concern after finding a published report showing serious issues within the South African Police Service.
Recent two-day oversight inspections by the KZN Legislature to various SAPS facilities have reported that there are serious issues within the Department, such as stations not having enough vehicles or officers to respond to crime. Other stations had infrastructure challenges. Among the stations visited by the delegates, uThukela District Amangwe SAPS and Bergville SAPS were mentioned in the report.
The report further stated that at Amangwe Station, there are only five officers per shift and there is also no back-up available while there are only holding cells and no detention cells. Bergville SAPS staff complement is 40, which is 14 short, with no officers for crime prevention.
Vehicles were also mentioned and of the 10 SAPS vehicles allocated, only two work. One Bergville SAPS vehicle has been out of commission for six months for lack of a part that is needed. Vehicles are not conducive to the terrain. One vehicle has been in the SAPS garage for 155 days, another for 124 days, and yet another for 77 days, as reported by the recent findings.
It was reported that Chief whip Mncwango said this organisation is tasked with the critical job of protecting citizens, yet it has been neglected to such an extent that it is almost completely ineffective. “This begs the question: How does the government expect these men and women to do their jobs properly when they do not even have the necessary tools of the trade? If anything, the July 2021 riots should serve as a reminder to this ANC-led Government of what can happen when law enforcement is not prioritised.”
Other stations within the province were also mentioned in the report and Chief whip Mncwango has since called on KZN Community Safety and Liaison MEC, Peggy Nkonyeni, to address the issues at the various stations visited within the province.
