The sight of uniformed police, some clad in bulletproof vests, sidearms drawn, beating a hasty retreat as an irate mob hurls rocks, bottles and insults in retaliation for a drug arrest does not inspire confidence in restoring law and order — whether it's in gang-infested Westbury, Johannesburg, or elsewhere, for that matter.
The brazen attack on anti-gang unit members — deployed to gang hotspots in the province — happened in broad daylight on Tuesday. It was partially captured in a video shared on social media, eliciting both outrage and support for the community under siege by drug dealers and thugs in Westbury.
“Gooi hulle [throw at them]” can be heard as the crowd launch more projectiles at South African Police Service members ducking and retreating down the road. Then, what sounds like a child's voice: “Attack! Attack!” More projectiles.
It beggars belief that some residents, including children, have such scant regard for authority that they would openly attack armed police to drive them out.
However shocking as this might be, this phenomenon is not confined to Westbury. We see the same brazen violence in other provinces where gangs kill innocent adults and children as they are caught in the crossfire of stray bullets during turf battles. In extreme cases, police are killed for their firearms.
It's particularly concerning when rampant crime in South Africa is a burning issue after it was embarrassingly acknowledged during the public meeting between US President Donald Trump and President Cyril Ramaphosa in the Oval Office. What happened behind closed doors during that tête-à-tête remains vague.
The Westbury incident, at first blush, portrays police as cowardly, ill-equipped and not knowing how to respond when they come under attack. But first impressions, based on that brief video clip can be deceiving. It transpires that the anti-gang unit was forced to make a “tactical retreat” because they only had live ammunition. Had they shot at the riotous community, there could have been a bloodbath, destroying any trust between residents and the SAPS.
Police need the ability to anticipate, read reliable, timely intelligence and be adequately equipped to carry out crime-fighting operations in the country's mushrooming 'hotspots'
National police commissioner Gen Fannie Masemola explained the unit was being deployed in “hotspots” such as Eldorado Park, Westbury, Moffat View, South Hills, Mohlakeng, Toekomsrus and Sophiatown. He said they “tactically withdrew” from Westbury to “ensure the safety of the very community that was attacking them”.
Nobody wants another Marikana. But one must ask why, knowing the suburb is volatile, police did not anticipate public violence, even while doing stop and search operations? Where was crime intelligence? One would think police would have anticipated a potential flare-up of violence, given the circumstances of the suburb, and would have been issued with rubber bullets or appropriate non-lethal equipment to deal with that possibility. But that was not the case.
The suitably equipped public order policing unit was not immediately available to assist. The underlying issues in suburbs plagued by gang violence need to be addressed at their root: unemployment, broken families, a lack of alternatives such as sports and recreation facilities or positive role models.
Police need the ability to anticipate, read reliable, timely intelligence and be adequately equipped to carry out crime-fighting operations in the country's mushrooming “hotspots”.
The list is long and needs urgent attention. But let's get the basics right first. We live in a violent society.
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