- Minister of Police Bheki Cele handed 36 vehicles over during the launch of nationwide Safer Festive Season operations.
- Cele urged the officers to be hard on criminals, because their obligation is to uphold and enforce the law.
- Cele issued a warning to communities and urged them not to underestimate the officers.
Minister of Police Bheki Cele handed 36 vehicles over to the provincial police commissioner Lt-Gen Thembekile Patekile during the launch of nationwide Safer Festive Season operations held at Khayelitsha Stadium in Khayelitsha on Friday 13 October. Its aim is to intensify security in the province.
Cele urged the officers to be hard on criminals, because their obligation is to uphold and enforce the law. “There are criminals who believe they are running the country,” he said.
“If they want to co-govern this country then they must first be elected. We won’t allow them to rule our communities and terrorise them.”
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Cele issued a warning to communities and urged them not to underestimate the officers. He said he was disturbed by what he saw in the media about police, such as the officer being attacked after stopping a vehicle during a patrol at Eden Park in Ekurhuleni District, Gauteng on Thursday 12 October.
“When the officer stopped the suspected car and wanted to search it the whole community came out and attacked him on behalf of the criminal. But I’m glad five of them, including the driver, were arrested this morning. The community must stop hiding the criminals because they will suffer the consequences.”
He urged shebeen owners to trade within the law, because the days of those who disregarded the law are numbered.“To those who break the law I want the officers to hit them hard. I don’t have human rights for criminals.”