Cape Town - The Gugulethu Uprising, an amalgamation of community-based organisations, has accused the Gugulethu police station commander Nokuthula Pete of sowing division in the community and the station, and wants her gone.
The organisation has challenged the office of the provincial police commissioner Thembisile Patekile and Police Minister Bheki Cele to transfer Pete, alleging that the police station has gone from bad to worse since she took over in 2020 from then acting station commander Dumezweni Ntsezo.
A memorandum was submitted to the police station on the weekend after the organisation accused the area's police of not caring about the plight of crime, GBV, rape, robbery, hijackings, and housebreaking in the township.
They are demanding answers regarding the shortage of police officers and vehicles, transfer, and removal of skilled officers.
They also criticised the police station for not recognising the neighbourhood watches and for allowing crime to get out of control.
The secretary, Marc Makebe, said a lot was wrong with the Gugulethu police station. He said crime in the area had also increased.
“According to the station commander, we currently have 197 staff members, and the station has a staff complement of 300.
“She also said that out of that 197, the police station averages about 50 people per day, with some writing exams, on leave, or off sick, which doesn't make sense to us. We had a woman who was raped at the Gugulethu Infill housing project by four men last weekend, and a guy was robbed and shot two weeks ago, while a security guard was also recently shot at that site. This on top of the houses that get broken into and robberies that happen daily,” he said.
Makebe said although they understood that the police could not be everywhere, he said the area with its four sectors could not be policed with only two police vans.
Makebe alleged that last week three people died while waiting for an ambulance which was delayed by the police escort.
“We want our kids to grow up in a safe environment and for people to feel safe in their homes. We also want people to take notice of what is happening and why it is happening. We should be working as a unit because we will never be able to curb violence and crime in the township if we are working against each other,” he said.
Police spokesperson FC Van Wyk confirmed that district commissioner of the West Metropole, Johann Fritz, received the memorandum on behalf of the police and that it would be handed over to higher authority for scrutinising and intervention.