A lot needs to be done to curb crime in our communities. Glancing through the quarterly crime statistics, released by the Police Minister Senzo Mchunu on Friday 30 August, there is a long way to go before we can root out the scourge.
At least five police stations in City Vision’s distribution area fall in the top 30 stations with the highest murder rate in the country.
Nyanga is leading in the province and South Africa. Khayelitsha is fourth nationwide and second in the province, Harare is fifth nationally and third in the Western Cape.
Philippi-East is seventh in SA and fifth in the province. Mfuleni featured eighth and sixth, nationwide and in the province, respectively, while Gugulethu came in at number 14 nationally and ninth in the Western Cape.
Samora Machel settled on position 22 in SA and 10th in the Western Cape.
Seeing these stations in these categories has become a norm. I believe that most of the murders are related to extortion and taxi violence. There is a lot that needs to be done to resolve the challenges we are encountering in our societies.
We thought taxi operators had taken a step back and given us a break from their disputes.
Now, there is extortion that is ravaging our communities.
The other day I was listening to some gentlemen having a conversation. One of them wanted the Somali nationals to close their shops and leave. The other one lambasted him. He argued that if Somalis leave, the country will be in trouble.
He said the extortionists will go door to door demanding money from residents. I was a bit perplexed, but judging by the way things are happening in South Africa, anything is possible.
It’s dog-eat-dog in this country. It is the survival of the fittest. If it is not a crime, it is corruption.
As residents, we are caught in the middle. Our government has failed us. There is no way that the government can impose stringent actions against those who transgress the law because some of them are sinners.
So, we are not safe at all. The people who can liberate us from this mess are ourselves. The problem is that there are few Nhlanhla Mkhwanazis (KwaZulu Natal police commissioner) in this country.
Others, who wear blue uniforms, are just accompanying him. The issue of crime doesn’t need prayers, it needs action.
The law enforcement agencies need to pull up their socks and do the right thing to protect the community.
