Cape Town – Police Minister Bheki Cele received a mixed reaction when he visited the Bishop Lavis policing precinct following the killing of three people at the weekend.
Resident Abdul Karriem Matthews said he had a “procedural problem” with Cele’s visit.
“(Our community) met Cele in September last year when we had the Total Shutdown. When he visited, we were promised an interministerial task team so that we could launch a working-class summit.
“The only demand that was met was the Anti-Gang Unit, but we have not received any response from the minister’s office with regard to the working class summit,” Matthews said.
Matthews said Bishop Lavis “is a war zone” and during the festive period there were numerous murders and shootings that had the community living in terror.
“We have demanded a police station in Bonteheuwel, but nothing has happened. We also asked for a tactical response team for Bishop Lavis, but nothing has come of it yet. Policing remains reactive instead of proactive.
“We need proper governance and the only way this will happen is when the people demand and the state responds. You have not listened to our demands and you have broken your promise to this community,” Matthews said.
During a walkabout in the policing precinct, Cele also visited the home of a man who was shot and killed on Sunday. Faried Thesen, 56, was alleged to have been affiliated to a Bonteheuwel gang.
He was shot in his yard in Taaibos Street on Sunday, according to his widow, Jasmine. Cele said he went to Thesen’s home to survey the crime scene.
Community activist Nadia Mayman slammed Cele for his visit to the home.
“You visited the home of a gang leader, a known enemy of Bonteheuwel. This is what happens when you don’t consult the community,” said Mayman.
Cele said: “We visited the crime scene, which is the job of the police. It doesn’t matter how I feel and how the community feels. We have a duty to arrest the perpetrators of these crimes, no matter who they killed.
“Our task is to respond to any alleged or committed crime. The point I take is to have better communication with the community during these visits,” Cele said.