Orange Farm residents call for Cele to close down local police station

The Orange Farm community, south of Johannesburg, has called on Police Minister Bheki Cele to close down the local police station.

They complain that the police station is not helping the community when in need and that the area has some of the highest incidents of murder and rape.

In September 2020, the bodies of 6-year-old Simphiwe Mncina and 8-year-old Mpho Makondo were discovered metres apart in Orange Farm extension 4.

Mncina and Makondo’s funeral service: 

The deaths prompted a community protest including a march to the local police station to demand the resignation of the station commander.

‘Police not doing their job’

Cele and the police top brass visited Orange Farm on Friday. Residents of Orange Farm want policing in the area to change so that it serves the community’s safety needs. They say that Cele can start by firing the station commander.

Community members say that the police are not doing their job and are in cahoots with drug lords.  “We call the police at night and they tell us there are no vehicles. When you wake up in the morning you find blood on the streets. We also have a problem with drugs. Some of the police officers are also involved in dealing with drugs. They only collect money from drug lords than arresting them. These police officers are not working. We want to know,  this police station, is it here to give people stipends or to assist the cause of the people?”

Mandla Radebe says his mother was brutally murdered in 2017 but those responsible for her death have not been arrested. “My mother was brutally murdered by the community and we opened the case on the very same day on the 9th up to today in 2021 no one from the SAPS came to us and tell us what is happening.”

Cele has instructed national police commissioner, Khehla Sitole, to look into the police station and give him feedback in seven days’ time.

“Because sometimes it is not the problem people complain about. Sometimes it is an issue of capacitation that we are supposed to capacitate the station so those are the things that will be looking at. There is a very high number of cases that are undetected. Commissioner is putting a special team here that will come and look at those things. But one thing that was raised is illegal firearms which means we will have to have a very thorough and active operation here.”

Community leader, Linda Ndebele, says they hope they are not being played but has threatened to revolt if no action is taken.

“Bheki Cele is coming with something. Although we are not sure whether he is going to implement whatever he said. But we will make sure that we go and close that police station if doesn’t happen the way we want it to happen.”

Cele says officials from his office will visit Orange Farm to investigate the complaints of the community.