Umlazi police station commander Brigadier Bonginkosi Nkabinde has urged residents to assist in exposing corrupt officers within the South African Police Service (SAPS).

Speaking after accepting a memorandum from the local leadership of uMkhonto weSizwe Party (MKP) on Wednesday, Nkabinde acknowledged that there are rotten potatoes with the police ranks, which needed to be removed. 

He urged residents to report any wrongdoing by police officers so that management can act against them.

“As much as we have dedicated police officers who are determined to fight crime, we must acknowledge that there are those who are committed to our cause. We are in and out of offices dealing with those rogue officers; therefore, we urge you, members of society, to be our eyes and ears and report police officers who are doing wrong things because they create a bad name for the force,” said Nkabinde.

He further called on the Umlazi community to assist in combating crime, saying it is unfortunate that Umlazi consistently ranks among the top stations where murders have taken place when crime figures are released.

Due to a fatal conflict between two gangs over control of the notorious Glebelands Hostel’s bed allocation, the station, which is located south of Durban and also polices three men’s hostels, has been a murder hotspot in recent years.

However, by apprehending gang members and sending the majority of them to life in prison, police were able to restore order.

Reading the memorandum of the march that the MKP had organised in support of provincial Commissioner Lieutenant-General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi, the party’s Umlazi coordinator Siyanda Nene called for full reinstatement of the disbanded political killings task team.

Nene stated that the unit had to be brought back right away because it had been disbanded while it was performing its duties.

He claimed that the disbandment was not timed well because elections are scheduled for next year and that the situation is already unstable, as political killings, particularly during election seasons, are common in the province.

“We need the unit to be fully reinstated. We have seen what it is capable of when it arrested four suspects for the murder of DJ Sumbody. Senzo Mchunu was wrong in disbanding the unit,” said Nene.

The party and civil society are pushing for Mchunu’s complete removal from the Cabinet based on Mkhwanazi’s revelations, who alleged that the police minister had a relationship with underworld crime syndicates and had been shielding them from prosecution.

Mchunu denied the allegations; however, President Cyril Ramaphosa placed him on leave and appointed a Judicial Commission of Inquiry, which will be chaired by Acting Chief Justice Mbuyiseli Madlanga.

willem.phungula@inl.co.za

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