Proper policing is No 1 issue

There is a joke about a man calling the police to report a break-in.

- KYLE ZEEMAN

He is told no cars are available and they can only come in an hour. He calls back a few minutes later to say the situation has been handled because he shot the intruders. The police arrive within minutes.

It is meant to be an exaggeration of reality. However, a lethargic and often unresponsive police force is a daily struggle for South Africans.

And, as the Madlanga commission heard this week, it comes from the very top.

National police commissioner Fannie Masemola said this week he informed the minister that his deputy, Shadrack Sibiya, was allegedly involved with criminal syndicates.