After months of mounting pressure on police due to a racial slur by Paarl police chief Brig Nokuzola Pete, the brigadier this week resigned.
The controversial station commander hit news headlines at the end of last year after she said on Facebook that: “this police station (Paarl) was ‘too white’.”
This caused an outcry from the public and various organisations demanding Pete’s head.
This however now leaves Paarl again without police leadership, something that the police station has been plagued with for many years. Station command has jumped from one person to the next leaving not only the public, but police officers unsure as to who they must answer to.
With crime rates across the country hitting all-time highs, one would think that there would be national focus on utilising all the workforce of police stations to their ultimate capability – starting off first and foremost with its leadership. But it is evident that police is mismanaged from the national commissioner down to unit and station level, and riddled with nepotism and corruption. Police at all levels must focus on fighting crime and serving all citizens of this country. Also least of all, play political games through political appointments.
