Durban - Police Minister Bheki Cele has called on police officers not to allow criminals to take over communities.
Cele was speaking in KwaMashu at the funeral of Warrant Officer Sthembiso Mazibuko. The 40-year-old National Intervention Unit (NIU) member died during a shoot-out with suspects at a house in C Section in Ntuzuma on October 17.
Four people, including a most-wanted suspect sought for killing 12 people during September, were shot dead in the same shoot-out.
Cele said in his nine years in policing, it was the first time that he was attending the funeral of a member of the NIU team.
“This is the first time I have attended a funeral of an NIU member who was killed by criminals, and I want to demand that it be the last time.”
The NIU is part of the special operations element of the SAPS.
“These criminals must be swept away, these criminals must be hunted like the rats that they are. They cannot be allowed to threaten and terrorise the community.
“Between you (police) and the community, you create a buffer, don’t allow yourself to be pushed back.”
Police officers must be prepared to make the ultimate sacrifice by laying down their lives to defend communities, he said.
“It can’t be members of the community who bury their loved ones every weekend because there are people who want to kill and be terrorists and terrorise the community, communities must be protected, you are there for that,” said the police minister.
Cele said the police should deal with criminals decisively.
He went as far as comparing criminals to snakes and said those criminals seen to be starting out as “small snakes and snake eggs should not be spared’’.
He called on police to cleanse the country of criminals and not spare a single criminal in their fight against crime.
“There are people on videos (on social media who record themselves) cleaning guns and saying whatever they like. We can’t be ruled by criminals and we can’t have women who are prisoners in their own homes.’’
National police commissioner General Fannie Masemola urged communities to work with the police and to be a part of community policing forums.
“As communities let us make sure we work with police and tell police what is happening so we can deal with criminals.”