Despite Ian Cameron welcoming priorities made by the new Minister of Police, Senzo Mchunu, to tackle crime in the country, opposition parties took the news with a pinch of salt.
Cameron was recently appointed chairperson of the Portfolio Committee on Police. He outlined his views after Mchunu made a promise. He promised that he would reconstruct the police management system in order to be decisive when eradicating crime.
In its first meeting last week, the portfolio committee stressed the need for improved resource capacity. The capacity in human and financial capital within the police department.
Support for allocations of budgets
“It is on this basis that we welcome the assurance from the minister. [His assurance] that allocations to these important preventative and investigative capabilities will be reviewed once the opportunity arises.
“It is important that the minister and his deputies focus on critical policy and oversight roles and leave the police to do their jobs. The portfolio committee has made commitments to do its part as well as play its oversight role. Including advocating for increased budget allocation to critical areas of the police,” said Cameron.
On Monday, Mchunu said that a national policy on policing would be established. He said this would ensure that the police have enough resources to serve communities.
“Central to our strategy is the urgent need to professionalise the SAPS instill positive ethical values and patriotism. And the understanding that the primary duty of a police officer is to always serve and protect the public. Uprooting corruption and removing corrupt police officials would remain top priorities on our list,” said Mchunu.
He also pointed out that rogue elements within the police service will be dealt with harshly. This as his department wants to change negative perceptions about police.
ActionSA not too optimistic
However, ActionSA president Herman Mashaba said it was too early to cast any judgement on Mchunu’s promises.
“Our lived experiences under the ANC over the last 30 years do not inspire any confidence at all. Bheki Cele was the wrong candidate for police minister from the start.
“Why did President Ramaphosa choose to have someone with a history of involvement in corruption? That was a fatal mistake from the beginning. We hope Minister Mchunu will play a role in providing ethical leadership to our police. Not become the police commissioner, spokesperson, detective and constable, as his predecessor did,” said Mashaba.
While Cameron said that it was also important to remedy the imbalance in resource allocation in critical areas, EFF’s Mbuyiseni Ndlozi said the police only want to fight crime. This after it has happened and stated that the SAPS has lost war in the hands of criminals, he said.
EFF wants action on corrupt police
“There is no strategy to address [crime]. Your deployment of the budget and personnel should be preventative of crime. There are kidnappings, and all drug lords are known; only the police claim ignorance. Gangsters are embedded with the police. The police themselves are part of the criminals,” said Ndlozi.
ATM leader Vuyo Zungula said: “We have not seen Minister Mchunu’s plan to address the rampant crime plaguing our country. The ATM has tabled comprehensive crime-fighting strategies multiple times, only to be ignored. We are eager to see Mchunu’s plan and are willing to contribute constructively. But without concrete steps addressing critical issues like the police-to-citizen ratio, his commitment remains questionable.
ATM questions Mchunu’s track record
“History is a great teacher, and Minister Mchunu does not have a track record of turning around failing departments. While we remain hopeful, we are not holding our breaths. The promises sound good. But without substantial action and clear plans, they remain mere political rhetoric.
Zungula also said that the ANC-led government has consistently failed to tackle the crime issue effectively. This has been the case regardless of who holds the ministerial position.
“Minister Cele’s tenure was marked by unmet promises and rising crime rates. We hope Minister Mchunu will not follow the same path. But our optimism is cautious, given the historical context,” he said.
