ODM and Ga-Nkoana residents demonstrate against poor policing
Ga-Nkoana
Operation Dudula Movement (ODM) in Sekhukhune, together with Ga-Nkoana community members in Fetakgomo Tubatse Local Municipality (FTLM) Ward 35, have marched to deliver a memorandum of demands at the Apel Police Station on Saturday 11 May.
The group was demonstrating against the incompetency of the police, drug dealers and high influx of undocumented foreign nationals who own shops and operating street vending businesses at Bopedi Bapedi Shopping Complex.
According to Davies Magolego, ODM Convener in Limpopo, before the march, the movement had invited the Department of Home Affairs (DHA) to raid hotspots areas and assist with verification of undocumented foreign nationals in the process of the march.
However, the DHA did not attend the march and the raid was postponed. Only the memorandum was delivered during the march.
Part of their complaints Dudula and residents were demanding the Apel Police Station to act against a corrupt relationship between some of police members and drug dealers, an updated crime prevention strategy which they say the current one is not working and the establishment of a task team by the district commissioner to work on restoring a relationship between the police and the communities again.
They were also demanding the arrests of well-known criminals in Sekhukhune, notably, those who specialises in selling drugs and ATM bombings.
The demonstrators demanded the police station to respond to the memorandum within 14 working days.
Magolego said the march was organized because the communities have lost confidence with the police and are no longer having trust on them on crime related matters.
“More than half of the police officers are corrupt and unethical, as a result of the situation, the district is a play-ground for criminals, drug peddlers and illegal migrants,” he said.
Magolego said Dudula Movement will conduct other demonstrations in Sekhukhune to complain against the incompetency of the police, drugs and other crimes.
“It is evident that most of the crimes are committed by illegal migrants because they are untraceable. This is the reason we want to engage with relevant departments during our marches so that those who will be found not having proper papers to be in the country be deported immediately,” he said.