“Criminals, just pack and go,” warned Deputy Minister of Police Cassel Mathale as he announced that a new police station would be built in crime infested Jukulyn, Soshanguve.
“Leave Jukulyn now because we won’t negotiate with criminals in our space as we are the state and the state must assert its authority,” said Mathale as a way of informing criminals in the area that they will be arrested for their crimes.
He was on a visit to Jukulyn after being invited by community leaders to engage him on crime issues that have plagued the area for many years now.
The Deputy Minister of Police, Cassel Mathale was joined by deputy minister of defense and military veterans Thabang Makwetla, deputy minister of social development Bogopane- Zulu, ward 27 councilor Bongani Masina, city of Tshwane MMC for community safety Grandi Theunissen and SAPS’s managements and other different stakeholders.
Deputy ministers interact with the community and listen to their complain about the crime in the area.
Community members are calling for new police station.
Community members complained about drugs, human trafficking, murder, robbery, mugging, police bribery, rape, GBV, hijacking and gangsterism.
Mathale told Tshwane Talks that a new cop shop called Phuthanong Police Station will be constructed at the site where the present satellite police station is situated.
“The new brick and mortar police station will be completed in 2025 and is currently in the planning stages,” he said.
“We should have come to Jukulyn four weeks ago to interact with the community but that couldn’t happen because of other pressing matters in the police services,” said Mathale.
He committed himself to deal with crime issues by working together with the community of Jukulyn so that the people of Jukulyn would live in peace.
“We have deployed a new station commander at the nearby Rietgat Police station, but we will bring operations here in Jukulyn to deal with criminality in the area,” explained Mathale.
Mathale then announced that since 2023 they put in place programmes to combat crime in Jukulyn.
“Operation Shanela, conducted by the Provincial Commissioner, is one of the programmes that were put in place and yielded the much-needed results,” he said.
He revealed that combat teams were also established last year in June and twenty targets were identified and arrested.
“There are still targets which are still outstanding, but they shall be dealt with in conjunction with crime intelligence,” he said.
According to Mathale 82 people responsible for street robberies, 22 illegal shebeens were shut down, 40 people were arrested for dealing in dagga and hardcore drugs, 42 stolen vehicles were recovered and 56 unlicensed firearms.
“Regarding a group of boys who were terrorising Jukulyn, nine of them were arrested and charged with possession of unlicensed firearms, dangerous weapons as well as murder,” announced Mathale.
Mathale the fielded questions from members of the community and a man calling himself Optel complained that the police are slow to react to criminal cases in Jukulyn as there was no police station nearby.
“I believe this is an important imbizo and it’s came at the right time and i hope it will solve all our problems especially crime.
We got a challenge of crime, and we want to see changes and be safe in our area,” said ward 27 councilor Bongani Masina.
Given Moraba complained about lack of police visibility in the area and lamented that the newly established crime wardens known as AmaPanyaza have taken to taking bribes from spaza shops that are owned by foreigners.
Mmaphuthi Makgatho said detectives in the SAPS are criminals themselves.
“These detectives take bribes from criminals and matters they have been reported to them end up being cold cases,” she said.
“The government hire the wrong people to fight crime and we want government to deploy white cops in the townships police stations.
Community activist that are fighting crime in the area are being targeted because cops rat them to criminals,” said community member and patroller Thabo Mooeketsi.