Cele to Send Detectives to Harding to Probe Hitmen and Their Masters As Organised Crime Terrorises Community

• Police Minister Bheki Cele has promised to dispatch a team of specialised and focused detectives to the small coastal town of Harding
• This comes after community members told the minister they lived in fear because of the widespread organised crime terrorising the community
• Residents said they were losing faith in the police because of their lack of actions and collaboration with the criminals

HARDING - Police Minister Beki Cele has answered the calls of a concerned community and will dispatch a team of specialised detectives to the small KwaZulu-Natal town of Harding. The detectives will investigate hitmen and their masters engaging in organised crime in the area.

Cele made the promise while speaking at a ministerial crime prevention imbizo in the South Coast town on Monday, 28 November. Residents filled the minister in on how they fear for their lives because of the widespread crime afflicting the area.

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One local, Jesmond Cross, detailed how his brother, a police officer, was gunned down while on duty. According to Cross, his brother was shot 15 times in a police vehicle, and the car in question was riddled with more than 20 bullet holes.

Cross told Cele that his brother's murder was under investigation by the Hawks. Still, the community feared what would happen to them if even police officers weren't safe from these criminals, East Coast Radio reported.

Cross said:

"Even me standing here, I am worried to talk, that maybe tomorrow I won't be here, because people don't want to talk in Harding, because you will die."

A woman who asked to remain anonymous unravelled the story of how her family was ripped away from her by unidentified gunmen. According to the grieving woman, her husband and three children were on their way to church when a bakkie intercepted them and opened fire. Her family was killed, and two others were left unconscious for two weeks.

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According to TimesLIVE, the community claimed there were losing confidence in the police because they were either too slow to act or were colluding with the criminals.

Police Minister Cele conceded that life in the small town of Harding was hell for residents because of abnormal crime levels. Cele added that the ministry would engage with National Police Commissioner General Fanni Masemola so that a specialised and focused team of detectives would be sent to Harding to handle the outstanding cases.

South Africans react to Bheki Cele's promise to the Harding Community

South Africans aren't confident that the police will effectively tackle organised crime in Harding.

Here are some comments:

@tessaumhlanga remarked:

"Harding? Such a small town. I can’t believe that it’s full of thugs and thieves."

@Jonatha63315790 wandered:

"I wonder if Cele ever investigated any cases in his lifetime. It would be interesting to sit in a room where he leads an investigation."

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@sigubude asked:

"Do we still have a police commissioner in this country?"

@Mpati61784204 claimed:

"Should have done this a long time ago."

@PietStassen questioned:

"How will an unorganised SAPS tackle organised crime?"

Crime stats: SA fuming as Police Minister Bheki Cele attempts to blame communities for high crime

In another story, Briefly News reported that the shockingly high number of children murdered between April and September had left citizens outraged.

Over 550 children were killed within six months across the country. While Police Minister Bheki Cele has shifted the blame to communities for failing to protect the vulnerable, others believe he has failed in his duties.

According to TimesLIVE, women have also been subjected to violent crimes; there have been 989 murders, 1277 attempted murders, and 13000 assault cases.

Source: Briefly News