Johannesburg - Police are under enormous public and political pressure to solve high profile cases, including that of slain Orlando Pirates and Bafana Bafana goalkeeper Senzo Meyiwa.
This is the view of the Institute for Security Studies (ISS) senior researcher, Johan Burger, after another police bungle made headlines following a burglary at the office of the Chief Justice Mogoeng Mogoeng in Midrand.
Police arrested three men, claiming they were linked to the burglary on March 18. Acting National Police Commissioner Kgomotso Phahlane then made a public announcement, four days after the burglary, claiming a breakthrough in their investigations. Phahlane also revealed that they were looking for Nkosinathi Msimango.
But later that day police could not link any of the suspects to the burglary when they made their first appearance in the Mamelodi Magistrate’s Court.
“Everyone looks at the police to solve the case as a matter of urgency; and this places the police under enormous public and political pressures to meet the expectations,” Burger said.
A similar bungle happened soon after Meyiwa was killed on October 26, 2014.A week after the incident, police issued a statement by former Lieutenant General Solomon Makgale on the SAPS website stating that a suspect had been positively identified.
“Yesterday, after receiving information about a number of suspects, we conducted an identity parade during which some of the witnesses positively identified one person.
“During consultation with the prosecution team, it was decided that this person should be arrested and charged on the basis of positively identification by some of the witnesses.
“The matter was then placed on the court roll and heard this afternoon.
"The suspect, Zenokuhle Mbatha, a 25-year-old, has been remanded in custody and will reappear in court on November 11, 2014.”
This was later found to be wrongful arrest and Mbatha was freed. There has since been no breakthrough in the case.