EDITORIAL | Security forces, we see what you’re capable of, don’t beat a hasty retreat

Police minister Bheki Cele and his defence and state security counterparts have a lot to thank EFF leader Julius Malema for.

He gave them an opportunity to show they aren’t your “so called Mabenas” who would be caught napping amid threats of destruction.

In the days ahead of the national shutdown, security forces, through the national joint operational and intelligence structure (Natjoints), were highly proactive, updating citizens and the leader of the shutdown that they were ready for any eventuality.

Soldiers were deployed ahead of time, national key points were safeguarded, and the police claimed that threats of destruction on social media were all being taken seriously.

On the eve of the shutdown, scores of people who tried to test the police’s limits found themselves bundled into nyalas and tossed behind bars.

It set the tone for Monday — the day of the actual shutdown — that the Natjoints meant business. On the day of the actual shutdown, hundreds were arrested, potential flare-ups were smothered with thousands of tyres, allegedly meant for street barricades, confiscated.

Except for an alleged bomb blast at the home of Soweto Parliament leader Nhlanhla “Lux” Dlamini and a butchery that was allegedly petrol bombed, the day came and went without any major disruptions.

It should not be threats, like those made by Malema that force you to flex your muscles, this should be a norm.

Malema definitely taunted and tried to provoke the police, politicians and the country at large with his threats of destruction and in that aspect, he failed. Credit, though, must also be given where it is due: The EFF did well to build a wall of safety, especially during its Pretoria march, ensuring that those partaking do not damage public and private property. It may be conduct at odds with the beating of the war drum by its leader ahead of the march, but that this was done is commendable. 

That said, to the SANDF, police and state security departments: we urge you to continue to be a force, especially in gang-ravaged areas such as Westbury in Johannesburg.

We urge you to show your might and presence in communities that have been destroyed by illegal mining activities, such as Krugersdorp. It should not be threats, like those made by Malema, that force you to flex your muscles, this should be the norm. A smug Malema, who was on Wednesday still basking in what he labelled a successful national shutdown, declared he was “in charge”.

In his tweet, Malema told the nation and police force: “I’m in charge, I’ve got you by the scrotum. There is nothing you can do, nothing, all of you combined. You can scream anyhow you want, once more I demonstrated to you; black opposition, white opposition with the ruling party combined, I’m in charge.”

Prove him wrong. Not for its sake. It’s your duty to ensure that thousands of people who get murdered and raped each month don’t suffer such a fate. You demonstrated your capability with aplomb. It would be a terrible indictment if such capability is only available for show when it’s politically convenient, when you need to show an opponent of the state that you can take charge and not, simply, because the country’s constitution enjoins you to ensure our collective safety, regardless of our political beliefs. 

We know it will take much more than police performance during a shutdown to redeem its image tarnished by inaction and incompetence in their handling of the July 2021 riots. A Malema-led shutdown should not be the first and last time that we see how safe we are under your watch.