DA to petition Parliament to hold Bheki Cele accountable for Stanger 1.4% conviction rate

4 December 2018

The Democratic Alliance (DA) will submit a petition to National Assembly Speaker, Baleka Mbete to hold Police Minister, Bheki Cele accountable for his steadfast refusal to address the crisis unfolding in Stanger after the DA revealed that the Police could only obtain a 1.4% conviction rate for murder, rape and robbery which was only beaten by the 0% conviction rate for hijacking in the last financial year.

It has now been 80 days since the DA requested the Police Minister to visit Stanger and address this failure by his police officers to protect the community. It has been more than two weeks since the DA marched with residents to the police station demanding Cele comes to Stanger, a request which he has arrogantly not acceded to.

This comes against the refusal of the Stanger Police Station to come to the rescue after a man was attacked on his farm and according to the man, the police station hung up four times after pleading for them to come to his rescue.

Eventually, a private security company arrested the attacker, handed him over the police station only for the attacker to be released a short while later.

It is becoming abundantly clear that the Minister, the police and the failing ANC simply don't care about the criminal paradise that Stanger has become.

That is why we will now hold the Minister accountable through the Police Portfolio Committee and get to the bottom of why Minister Cele has such disdain for the people of Stanger as well as demand a turnaround plan from the Police including our request for the entire station management to be fired.

Communities such as Stanger require an honest, a professional and well-trained police service to protect them from criminals. What we see in Stanger today could not be further from this and the DA will not rest until heads roll.

Issued by Dean Macpherson, DA ILembe Constituency Head, 4 December 2018