DA‘s bid for policing powers a ‘political ploy’

AS CRIME continues to ravage the country, questions have been constantly asked on many fronts. At a macro level, the national government is blamed for lacking strategies to combat crime. This is an indictment on the government and its failure to protect its citizens.

- PROF BHEKI MNGOMEZULU

At a micro level, the blame lands squarely on the local police stations and their leadership for failing to put proactive measures in place to prevent crime from happening, instead of reacting once crime has already been committed.

This situation is compounded by the allegations recently made by KwaZulu-Natal’s Lieutenant-General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi.

Among other things, Mkhwanazi alleged that some in the top brass of the police force were perpetuating crime instead of combating it. This happens through corrupt practices such as bribery and related matters.

Some provinces are affected more than others. For example Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal and the Western Cape are among those adversely affected by criminal activities.

This should not come as a surprise, given that these provinces drive the country’s economy. As such, they attract more people — including criminals.

But crime involving government officials does not fit this analysis. The government has tentacles everywhere around the country. Government officials at the national level have access to resources that they can use to carry out their illicit acts.

In the context of all these developments, the Democratic Alliance (DA) has been making a call for the devolution of policing powers to the provinces, especially in the Western Cape.

At face value, this call is plausible. It shows a party that is worried about the level of crime in the country. It also creates the impression that the DA in the Western Cape is aware of the criminal activities and gangsterism ravaging the province.

It also tacitly implies that the national government has failed, and that the province would be better positioned to root out this scourge.