Ricochet News

Trollip calls on Cele to provide a well-resourced and honest rural police force

Jan 15, 2019

Former Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality Executive Mayor and the Democratic Alliance's (DA) Federal Chairperson, Athol Trollip, on Monday called on Police Minister, Bheki Cele, to ensure there is a professional, well-resourced and honest police force in rural communities.

He was speaking after, together David Ross, Matjhabeng Constituency Head, met with farmers, rate payers, business people organized agriculture and local community members in Welkom.

He said that they told the DA about the continued decline of rural safety initiatives and economic decay in their area.

"The DA finds it totally unacceptable that the rural communities have been left in limbo with regard to rural crime due to political expediency by the failing ANC. The rural farm schools and clinics are being closed down and it is real a tragedy that people living on the farms have to experience all these social upheavals and hardship as a result of government’s failure," Trollip said.

"This DA calls for an honest and a professionalised police service and enough resources to turn the tide against crime and lawlessness. Visible policing and crime prevention remains the most effective way to safeguard citizens

"What is needed is a government which is capable of spending every cent in every Rand on making a fundamental difference in the lives of South Africans."

Trollip said that the only way to find the solution to the problems facing the Matjhabeng community is to change the government.

"These residents deserve a government which will prioritise their most pressing needs such as bringing back the rural safety initiatives and ensuring there’s an effective police service," he added.

"It broke my heart to see so much agricultural land laying fallow due to the unrelenting drought. This is also compounding rural safety issues.

"The failing ANC government has clearly set about stealing resources which should ensure that this town is a thriving community with infrastructure such as access to roads, water and proper sewerage systems."

'Sepecialised police units have collapsed'

Trollip said that the DA wants to reiterate that farm murders are more than the spate of fatal attacks meted out against farmers and farmworkers, "but they are destroying the very community which is keeping our country going, through food security".

"Specialised units have completely collapsed which often leave people in homelands and on the farms to be victims of lawlessness.

"I therefore call on the Police Minister, Bheki Cele, to show decisive leadership and bring more manpower to the rural areas to fight the scourge of crime," he described.

"We need to safeguard food security and one of the ways in which we can achieve that is by ensuring food producers are protected and continue to feed our nation.

"Land reform has been thrust into the spotlight as head into the 2019 general elections and the DA maintains that land reform can take place without amending the Constitution."

Trollip said that South Africans should not allow irresponsible rhetoric, which only seeks to divide and polarise the nation along racial lines.

"What is needed is an effective government that is capable of solving the country’s problems.

"Land expropriation without compensation only seeks to make South Africans permanent tenants instead of empowering them to own the land," he added.

"The Minister needs to ensure that every vacancy in the South African Police Service is filled with adequately trained and professional police officers who are fit for purpose and can prevent the unacceptably high levels of crime in our communities."
