Cele promises more policemen and vehicles for fed-up Alex residents

More police officers and vehicles will be provided to the Alexandra community to ensure that there is more visible policing in the area.

A request will also be sent to the mayor of Johannesburg to ensure that load-shedding in Alexandra should occur during the day.

Police minister Bheki Cele made these promises during a crime imbizo in Alexandra on Sunday, where the community gathered to address police management in crime issues facing the township.

During the week, a total of 10 people were shot and robbed of their belongings in different areas of Alexandra. Six of those were killed and one of them was Alex FM presenter Joshua Mbatha, 32.

On Friday, seven people were arrested in connection with the killings.

The community was given time to explain the problems they were facing as a community before Cele addressed them. People cited, among others things, the problem of drug dealers, foreign nationals who are allowed to trade and unemployment. 

Addressing the community, Cele said what police must do, is prevent crime and make Alexandra safer and liveable.

Cele said in the next imbizo, other structures and departments should also come and address the community’s concerns, which are not issues that can be answered by police. These issues include lighting and fixing of potholes.

He said other government structures that should be involved include the departments of justice, social development and human settlements and the office of the mayor.

He said there were other issues which needed to be addressed.

This included the fact that there are 349 shebeens and 12 bottle stores in Alexandra.

He said authorities which issued liquor licences should explain why so many licences have been allowed in such a small area.

“You will have a drunken community and children as young as six outside at night. These are answers that need to be answered.”

Cele said Alexandra had 277 police officers and the number should be 327.

He said there was a shortage of police in SA.

He said in 2010, there were 195,000 police officers and at present there were 175,000.

“We are trying to correct that situation. This year, there are 10,000 police officers at police college, we will try to get 10,000 more police next year.”

He said in the interim, police officers at the less busy police stations will be moved to Alexandra.

On the issue of vehicles, he said there were four police sectors in Alexandra and the community policing forum requested the area to be subdivided into eight sectors and for each sector to have its own vehicle, which will assist in visible policing.

Cele said police management also heard the request that load-shedding should occur during the day in Alexandra because the attacks that happened during the week happened at night, when there  was load-shedding.

“Apart from the police’s lack of response when these people were shot it was dark, you have made a request that we will pass on to City Power,” Cele said.

He also said police management will send a team to deal with outstanding cases .

TimesLIVE