SAPS need to do better when it comes to protecting citizens Photo Pexels
South Africa – When it comes to the National Shutdown or escorting Thabo Bester to court, there seems to be more than a handful of police officers ready to serve. However, when it comes to protecting citizens, SAPS never seem to be around the crime hotspots in the country.
This is the point Narendh Ganesh, a Durban-based community activist, made when he wrote his latest post on social media. While ordinary citizens are left to defend and protect themselves, criminals like Bester, who prey on the innocent, are surrounded by police, said Ganesh.
“I can’t seem to understand the mentality of the South African Police Services to deploy so many officers to protect these people. I’m more than certain if you have 10 or 12 police officers around a person that will be sufficient but to deploy the number of police officers we have seen makes me wonder what kind of mistake we have become.”
The Bester incident has caused many South African citizens to lose confidence in the security cluster, especially the correctional services. To now have to watch police officers protect Bester while so many citizens are left unprotected is an insult to injury.
Incompetence in government and SAPS
There are more private security officers than police officers in South Africa. A statistic that shows how far SAPS has fallen and the lack of trust South Africans have in them, said Ganesh. South Africans should not have to fork out money to protect themselves especially when we see how many police officers are available when the ANC hosts their major ceremonies and functions.
“We’ve reached that stage where people have to take methods to protect themselves in ways that are more costly than it ever was before. People say we must not pick on these guys but unfortunately we have every right to pick on Bheki Cele because he himself does not know how to control his officers … At the end of the day they do not have the ability to actually mobilise their sergeants so that South Africa is protected.”
It is a common theme that Cele and his officials pitch up at family homes whose murders make the national news. This shouldn’t be the case. According to Ganesh, politicians have more security than the ordinary citizen has and this needs to change. Citizens don’t deserve to be disrespected by watching their hard earned money go towards protecting criminals and politicians while they are left defenceless.
How the world views South Africa
The Bester scandal has put South Africa back in the light but once again in a negative manner. While a country is supposed to be building its reputation and image, it is certainly doing the opposite. One has to think how this plays out in the international media and what tourists think when they see the crime statistics and how police are being used, said Ganesh.
“We are supposed to be building an image like every country does to attract people because it brings in foreign currencies. It adds to the revenue of the country. it develops the GDP. We are actually devolving it into a right royal mess. I can’t understand why they [G4S] haven’t been terminated. We’ve also got security companies protecting police stations. This is the level we have reached in South Africa and the people have to stand up.”
SMread: The journalists who brought Thabo Bester into the light
Time to take a stand against bad governance and SAPS
If anything is to change, citizens need to become active members in politics. They must make their voices heard. Citizens can no longer sit back and watch. Next year’s election is going to be important for South Africa and Ganesh has urged every young South African to make their voices heard and fight for their future.
“Active citizenry does not mean sharing a thumbs up on social media. It means getting involved in groups, in masses and encouraging people … I’d like to appeal to the young people of South Africa, please get involved. This is your future at stake. In 30 years time you’ll be probably sitting and fighting the battles that we should have won today.”
To hear more from Narendh Ganesh on the incompetence of the government and how to bring about change, listen to the podcast here:
