By Ebi Kesiena
The community of Mbekweni in Paarl has told the Deputy Minister of Police, Cassel Mathale, that they are being terrorised by criminals in police uniforms.
Mbekweni is a township situated between Wellington and Paarl in the Western Cape province of South Africa.
The community engaged police top officers on Friday, during a town hall meeting hosted at the local community hall.
The gathering was organised to allow residents to air their frustrations in a bid to find solutions.
Hundreds of people filled the Mbekweni community hall to share their pain with the police as many noted that they no longer trust police officials in their uniforms.
Western Cape Police Commissioner Tembisile Phathekile was also present.
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According to the Community Policing Forum chairperson, Henry Jacobs, the community is reporting its crime grievances to a vigilante group formed in the area.
“Robbery is the main thing… Since now, today people are receiving their SASSA grant and all that stuff. The people are being robbed. Here we have a Shoprite centre and ATM scammers are hanging around, and they rob people of their money.”
Meanwhile, Deputy Minister of Police Cassel Mathale encouraged the community to trust the police and not break the law further by asking vigilantes to solve their problems.
Mathale noted that efforts are being made to root out corruption within the South African Police Service.
He also urged community members not to hesitate to report corrupt police officers to the police watchdog the IPID (Independent Police Investigative Directorate).
