The police deserve acknowledgment for their prompt and decisive action in apprehending the perpetrators of the tragic murder of Ditebogo Junior Phalane.
The five-year-old boy was fatally shot during a hijacking outside his home in Soshanguve, Pretoria, last week. He had run outside to welcome his father home when the hijackers pounced and shot him dead.
The police attributed their victory to tracking technology, which they say helped them trace the suspects who had fled with Ditebogo's father's cellphone.
Police expressed their confidence at having arrested the right suspects, saying the duo was also found in possession of unlicensed firearms.
They were nabbed in Soshanguve, the same township where Ditebogo had lost his life. A third suspect is reported to be on the run.
While the resolution of the Phalane case is a positive development, it is regrettable to say that he is one of the “lucky” ones who may get justice.
Many victims of unsolved crimes around the country would attest to the fact that not all crimes receive equal attention and have resources directed at them.
In Phalane's case, social media played a crucial role in highlighting his case. A relative of his had taken to social media just hours after the shooting happened, sharing the family's ordeal.
This and the social media outpouring possibly added to prompting police minister Bheki Cele and his team to get their boots on the ground. Top detectives were assigned to the case, and assurances were given by Cele himself to the people of Soshanguve regarding restoring order in their township.
This is the same township where popular DJ Peter Mashata Mabuse was gunned down last month. Four other people, including a teenager, were gunned down in the township on New Year's Day — but these are only the incidents which garnered enough attention to make it to the news headlines.
We are well aware and have heard of Cele's complaints of how stretched and understaffed the country's police service is. The prompt breakthrough in Phalane's case, however, shows the South African police's capabilities, but we need the same energy invested into all violent crimes that occur in this country.
Regrettably, residents of Soshanguve, as reported by TimesLIVE Premium, remain sceptical about the ability of authorities to address the pervasive crime in their community, citing past disappointments.
This was echoed earlier this week in another part of the country. During a pre-election town hall debate in KwaZulu-Natal, which was attended by provincial police commissioner Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi, heartbreaking scenes played out when a young woman attended the meeting, hoping to get Mkhwanazi's audience.
Carrying a placard where she called for justice and a case number written in big, bold letters, she claimed her five-year-old daughter had been raped, allegedly while at creche. The creche, they claimed, only accepted girls, and one of the staff members, said to be related to the creche owner, was suspected to be behind the rape.
Days later, J88 forms compiled, the suspect had not been taken in, even for questioning and DNA testing, and the creche had continued to run.
Mkhwanazi, who has gained himself a reputation as a no-nonsense cop who gets the job done, expressed his sympathy to the family, even wiping a tear from his eye as he said he too had a child of a similar age. He said he would look into the matter urgently.
The failure to swiftly address all crimes perpetuates a sense of impunity among criminals and erodes public trust in the police
But why do community members need to go to an extreme, bring big flash cards in protest, submit memorandums of demand and garner support from the public via social media to get their cases prioritised?
The failure to swiftly address all crimes perpetuates a sense of impunity among criminals and erodes public trust in the police.
Time and again, we see that it all depends on who shouts the loudest and gains the attention of the minister or political figure for their case to be given attention.
The stakes are high as South Africa grapples with rampant crime. The world is watching. The headlines which depict how no-one — even innocent five-year-olds — are safe from rape and gunshots, tarnish the image of a nation once celebrated for its beauty and resilience.
Something drastic needs to happen to turn the story of South Africa around, and the men and women in blue, have demonstrated they have the capability to do this. All they need is a will to do so.
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