Nyanga community members have
mixed feelings about a ministerial imbizo that
was led by Minister of Police Bheki Cele to
engage Nyanga community on crime and safety concerns on Wednesday 15 May at
Linge Primary School in the area. Some of them see it as an electoral ploy, while
others see it as a good move.
Luleka Mtyhido from Zwelitsha believes the presence of Cele will make a difference and scare the
criminals. She said Nyanga was like a
war zone.
“People are dying like flies
here. Criminals have no respect for the community. Nyanga is always in the
media for the wrong reason.” Mtyhido
urged Cele to deploy more law enforcement officers to the Cape Flats.
Makwande Tinto from Phase 1 in
Lusaka questioned Cele’s visit, describing it as a waste of time.
He said Cele has been going around
conducting imbizos and he hasn’t heard him come back with any
feedback.
“Nyanga has been known as the
murder capital for so long. It is well known that the crime rate in Nyanga is
high. We need action, not promises.”
He said Cele was on campaign trail
for his party in style.
He said he is concerned by the
escalation of crime under Nyanga police precinct. Cele said he was surprised by the number of shebeens and
taverns in the precinct cited that they have a negative impact in the
escalating of crime in the area. He stated
that he doesn’t have a problem selling alcohol as long as it’s legal. Cele highlighted Browns Farm as one of the hotspot areas.
