Pretoria - The police have to take “real and serious action” against perpetrators of the killings taking place in Pretoria, which are often met with no real consequences to the perpetrators.
This was the call made to Police Minister Bheki Cele and SAPS management by EFF members who marched to numerous police stations in Tshwane yesterday.
EFF leader in Tshwane, Obakeng Ramabodu, led a group of marchers to Olievenhoutbosch police station, while various leaders did the same in Mabopane, Winterveld, Ga-Rankuwa, Hammanskraal, Atteridgeville, Mamelodi, Soshanguve and Sunnyside.
The groups held placards asking “Who is next” and said lawlessness had become a norm in the city, and the perpetrators were killing people in full view of other people at any time of the day, without any fear of facing the full might of the law.
They said the death of businessman and musician DJ Sumbody was just one of the many shootings that had been taking place in violent ways.
Another recent killings include the shooting of a businessman at Soshanguve Crossing Mall, and two others outside popular entertainment venue Short Left in Soshanguve, as well as at a Total service station in Rosslyn.
Ramabodu said: “The problem is that these killings have been taking place in our townships, but the police have not been making arrests. These killings happen right where we live and in front of our people so that they do not feel safe anymore.
“People have lost confidence in the police and they are asking themselves who is next. They do not feel safe in their own communities anymore. The police need to act and make sure criminals do not share living space with us.
“We are also protesting for a lot of these minor cases that have also not been solved or investigated properly to produce arrests.
“We want the police to also act decisively on cases of gender-based violence. We need real law enforcement. We need justice. We need not have a distance between the police and the community. It has to stop now.”
Pretoria News