Comments by police minister Senzo Mchunu at the weekend that communities should not put all their faith in law enforcement authorities to fight crime as they are not “izangoma [traditional healers]”, is both hostile and in stark contrast to the very role of police in society.
He further said “they” would no longer accept complaints by the public that “we’re afraid they [criminals] will come back and kill us”.
“There are ways in which you can report and remain safe. Unless communities take this challenge we are going to be very slow, so let's work together actively and fight the criminals,” Mchunu said.
The use of political language can be instrumental in informing and influencing the reality of people’s lives. It is a powerful tool that should be used with care and thought, especially by those who are responsible for keeping people safe and maintaining order while also enforcing the laws of the land.
He rightfully said law enforcers would struggle to execute their duties if communities do not assist in the efforts.
We, however, take issue with the manner in which he has chosen to communicate this, especially in a week when 18 defenceless family members were killed in cold blood in Lusikisiki in the Eastern Cape.
To say that victims of crime should not be afraid of retaliation from criminals when we know very well what happened to Babita Deokaran and many others is the kind of rhetoric unexpected from a sitting minister tasked with overseeing law enforcement and the safety of citizens. It's like herding sheep into a lion's den. It's reckless talk. He should be saying what he and police top cops have done to ensure whistle-blowers are safe.
Furthermore, it is not the responsibility of communities to fight crime, but the job of law enforcement. Such unconstructive talks can lead to more criminal behaviour such as taking the law into our own hands as the community.
It is irresponsible to empower the public in this fashion as South Africans often resort to mob justice, which is a community effort to fight crime, but is in itself a criminal act. The danger of throwing such statements into the open without careful execution is that they might be taken out of context and incite unintended violence.
The public does not expect the police to be “izangoma”, but they do expect that they employ crime-fighting intelligence capabilities to keep them safe. To suggest they view police as seers or prophets is dangerously dismissive, condescending and a deflective tactic.
What must we make of incidents where police bust crime through intelligence efforts and they boast about their efforts? Does that make them sangomas?
Police are supposed to use intelligence and be the eyes and ears of the people to prevent crime, over and above responding to crime scenes after the fact. Crime prevention is, in fact, part of Mchunu’s responsibilities. The police and all law enforcement stakeholders are supposed to neutralise crime beyond arrests prompted by reports, through multidisciplinary interventions.
This sort of language is also tone-deaf as the reality is that communities live in fear and are terrorised by criminals daily as is evident in the shocking crime stats. The activities of extortionists also demonstrate the same desperate crime-infested situation that South Africans live under.
To make the point that society must join hands with police to root out crime is apt and welcome. But to further chastise members of society for having expectations that police will execute crime prevention strategies in line with their mandate by saying police are not izangomas is to miss the point completely.
What must we make of incidents where police bust crime through intelligence efforts and they boast about their efforts? Does that make them sangomas?
A year ago, through great detective work and intelligence, police killed 19 people suspected to be involved in cash-in-transit robberies at a house in Makhado, Limpopo. National police commissioner Gen Fannie Masemola said then the suspects were going to use an ambulance to transport the money between provinces. He added: “They brought a lot of firearms. There were also explosives that were ready to be used.”
How did the police know all this? Surely not through spiritual gifts as intimated by Mchunu. It was detective and intelligence work that got them all the applause. When now under pressure for not using the same detective and crime intelligence capabilities in Lusikisiki, Mchunu's default response is to blame the victims.
Leaders must stop spewing condescending and deflective rhetoric and focus on their mandate — crime prevention and the many other things police do.
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