‘We don’t trust the police’: Ivory Park community accuses police of corruption

Frustrated residents of Ivory Park near Thembisa confronted police leaders on Tuesday, accusing some officers of taking bribes, working with criminals and failing to protect the community.

The community voiced its frustrations during a ministerial imbizo led by police deputy minister Polly Boshielo and Gauteng police commissioner Lt-Gen Tommy Mthombeni.

Residents said they had lost confidence in the police and questioned whether they were doing enough to tackle crime.

Several residents claimed some police officers accepted money from undocumented foreigners, protected drug dealers and were rarely available when the community needed their help.

Mthombeni did not dismiss the allegations, saying any police officer found taking bribes was committing a crime.

“If SAPS members are taking money from illegal foreigners, that is a crime,” he said. “We need to deal with this issue, and I will provide contact details so people can report these cases.”

He criticised community members who rented out rooms to people without checking their legal status.

“Our own people must also take responsibility. Some landlords rent out their properties to people without proper documents,” he said.

Mthombeni warned that landlords found to be renting accommodation to undocumented foreigners could be fined up to R10,000 for each illegal tenant.

The meeting, held as part of Women’s Month activities, focused on strengthening partnerships between police and communities to fight gender-based violence and other crimes.

Boshielo said Women’s Month should not only celebrate women but also highlight the violence many continue to face.

“Gender-based violence and femicide remain serious problems in our communities. We cannot allow women and children to continue living in fear,” she said.

She said the government was working to ensure that perpetrators were brought to justice and urged communities to report all criminal activity.

“No amount of police presence will reduce crime without communities working with the police,” she said.

However, residents said trust had been broken.

Community leader Johannes Nong accused Ivory Park police of interfering in community programmes and claimed residents had struggled to establish a functioning community policing forum.

He alleged that members of the police community safety initiative demanded R1,500 every month from undocumented foreigners.

Another resident, Dimakatso Ude, said police vehicles were often seen outside spaza shops instead of responding to crimes.

“We asked for more police vans, but we see them at the spaza shops collecting protection money,” she alleged.

She claimed some police officers were working with drug dealers.

Benjamin Makhubela said residents had resorted to paying community patrollers R100 each because they no longer felt safe.

“We pay R100 to patrollers to protect us, but people are still being robbed, mugged and killed,” he said.

Another resident, Khehla Nkuta, said many people had lost faith in the police.

“At this point, we don’t trust the police,” he said.

Speaking to TimesLIVE, Boshielo acknowledged that many communities had lost confidence in the police but said the government was determined to rebuild those relationships.

“You saw that people arrived here angry because they felt the police were not working with them. By the end of the meeting, we had spoken openly about their concerns and explained how we needed to work together,” she said.

She encouraged residents to report corrupt officers and said those who feared being identified could use the anonymous reporting channels.

“We want communities to tell us when police officers are committing crimes. If people have videos or evidence, they must report it. We will act,” she said.

Boshielo said while there were corrupt officers in the police service, many officers continued to risk their lives protecting South Africans.

“When people are asleep, police officers are working. Some lose their lives while serving this country. But those who break the law will also face the consequences.”

Mthombeni said police could not fight crime without the support of communities.

“We cannot afford a divorce between the police and the community. Crime happens in communities, and we need residents to work with us if we are going to stop it,” he said.

He said community tip-offs had recently helped police arrest three officers in Edenvale who had demanded money from members of the public.

He revealed that two officers in Hillbrow had been arrested and suspended after they were caught taking money from undocumented foreigners.

Mthombeni said Gauteng police had dismissed 25 officers in recent months as part of efforts to remove corrupt members from the service.

“We are cleaning our own house. We ask communities to continue reporting wrongdoing so that together we can remove the rotten apples from the police service,” he said.

TimesLIVE