'He's failing to deal with GBV': Mzansi reacts to Bheki Cele raiding Sandton club
“Bheki Cele is so obsessed with alcohol but silent on gender-based violence (GBV) and human trafficking.”
This is one of the remarks from people who expressed their dismay with the police minister after he, alongside members of the SA Police Service and Johannesburg metropolitan police department, raided a nightclub, Blackdoor, in Sandton in the early hours of Sunday morning.
Videos of the raid were shared on social media by government officials. TimesLIVE reported that the manager of the club was arrested for breaking the lockdown regulations.
According to Cele's spokesperson Lirandzu Themba, liquor valued at more than R800,000 was seized during the raid.
On social media, many called the raid a “PR exercise” and that Cele was “fighting the wrong crime” instead of the scourge of GBV and human trafficking in SA.
In a written parliamentary response to the DA last week, Cele revealed that more than 130 police officers have GBV charges hanging over their heads.
The cases include rape, statutory rape, murder, domestic violence, attempted murder, assault with intent to cause grievous bodily harm, contempt of court, malicious damage to property, intimidation, and pointing a firearm.
Cele said most of the cases were reported in the Western Cape, KwaZulu-Natal, the Free State and the Northern Cape. A few were also reported in the Eastern Cape, Limpopo, the North West, Mpumalanga and Gauteng.
Here is a snapshot of what Mzansi had to say:
That nightclub should be shut down AND perpetrators of human trafficking, abuse & murder of women & children should be held accountable AND we should ensure rule of law AND promote a society that is safe, peaceful & secure.
— Ottilia Anna MaSibanda (@MaS1banda) October 25, 2020
No buts.
AND. https://t.co/MFOQYROlsh
Bheki Cele gets mad gully when it's about alcohol, he even stays up late. He's like Batman, all the power to make real change but he crawls around in dark alleys fighting petty criminals and mentally challenged people
— ❤️ (@KeKatli) October 25, 2020
Bheki Cele is so OBSESSED with alcohol but silent on GBV and HUMAN TRAFFICKING...
— IKE THAMI KHUMALO (@ITKHUMALO) October 25, 2020
Manifesting for Bheki Cele to take as much action as he does on alcohol related crimes , on Human trafficking and GBV🕯🕯🕯🕯🕯🕯🕯🕯
— Des o mo dese✨ (@DesireeMarokane) October 25, 2020
Meanwhile here is a short list of more important crimes to deal with than this nonsense PR exercise
— Melanie Gia Ramjee (@Hypress) October 25, 2020
GBV
Human Trafficking
Drug Trafficking
Murder
Drunk Drivers https://t.co/7uJv59ymJW
When it’s groove Bheki Cele doesn’t even mind sleeping at 04:00 but when it’s GBV and human trafficking he’s nowhere to be seen like the blackdoor was manager https://t.co/JDGky4MP67
— Thando (@Nolu_khoza) October 24, 2020
The only thing Bheki Cele has done thus far is closing alcohol. He’s failing to deal with GBV, Human Trafficking, Drug lords
— Man’s NOT Barry Roux (@AdvoBarryRoux) October 25, 2020
Bheki Cele will go all out guns blazing against alcohol, but when it comes to human trafficking and GBV he is nowhere to be seen. People are losing their kids each and every day. Human trafficking is real.#StopHumanTrafficking #StopGBV
— Phume (@phume22) October 21, 2020
I wish Bheki Cele gave so much attention to human trafficking and GBV same way he’s so passionate about closing clubs and confiscating alcohol
— TSHΞPO💫 (@tshepoo_gn) October 26, 2020
I'm worried about Bheki Cele's priorities as a police minister.
— Shumi Ley'nkezo Ngubane (@Maqhawe_Ngubane) October 25, 2020
South Africa deserves a new Minister of Police who is passionate about fighting all kinds of crime, unlike Bheki Cele.
— XOLI ✨ (@Undlunkulu_Xoli) October 25, 2020