Africa-Press – South-Africa. In the Eastern Cape, KwaZulu-Natal, and the Northern Cape, around 26% of visible policing vehicles are not operational.
This was revealed in Police Minister Bheki Cele’s response to a question by DA MP Andrew Whitfield, who asked how many vehicles were assigned to visible policing and detective services and how many of them were operational.
Cele didn’t want to disclose how many vehicles were assigned to visible policing and detective services.
“Sharing information on the availability, utilisation and deployment of human and physical resources may compromise policing and the safety of South African Police Service (SAPS) employees. Therefore, the specific details that are requested, cannot be provided,” he claimed.
Cele did, however, provide the percentages of visible policing and detective services’ vehicles that are operational.
Overall, 21.16% of visible policing vehicles and 15.96% of detective services vehicles are not operational.
In the Eastern Cape, KwaZulu-Natal and the Northern Cape, the percentage of visible policing vehicles not operational is just above 26%.
The lowest percentage is for the police’s head office, with 9.09%. The province with the lowest percentage is North West, with 13.6%.
The provinces with the most vehicles for detective services out of operation are also the Eastern Cape (19.69%), KwaZulu-Natal (19.55%), and the Northern Cape with 23.52%.
KwaZulu-Natal and the Eastern Cape featured prominently in the most recent crime statistics.
According to the statistics for January and March, which Cele released in May, KwaZulu-Natal recorded the most murders.
However, you are more likely to be murdered in the Eastern Cape, which had the highest murder ratio of 16.7 per 100 000 of the population, compared to KwaZulu-Natal with 13.6, Western Cape 11.9, and Gauteng 9.5.
Whitfield said the “distressing statistics” echoed South Africans’ complaints to the DA that the police response times were very slow and that, in many instances, they did not arrive.
Whitfield said in a statement:
“Additionally, detectives, who are instrumental in solving violent crimes should not have to worry about a shortage of vehicles in order to reach crime scenes for investigations. With such a large number of vehicles out of commission it is unsurprising that crime rates are so alarmingly high.
“How much longer must South Africa endure Bheki Cele’s continual failures on every measurable metric? What more must occur before President Ramaphosa takes action and removes him from office? Unfortunately, the president’s reluctance to make tough decisions suggests that South Africa will remain burdened with Bheki Cele, resulting in a continued surge in violent crime.”
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