Note to Broadcasters: Please find linked soundbites in English and Setswana by Sello Seitlholo MP
The DA in Greater Taung is shocked by the continued failure of the SAPS to attend to serious crimes, the most recent being a house robbery in Magogong Village for more than a week after the incident occurred.
Me Ellen Motsako was held at gunpoint by two, allegedly known, assailants at her home during the early hours of Thursday morning, 15 November 2023. The victim called the Greater Taung SAPS at 02:00 and her younger sister, Ms Maggie Klaas, again called the police at 02:25, where she was informed that only one police van was available and that it was in Kokomeng Village.
At around 04:20 the police called Me Maggie Klaas for directions. A young child was sent to go and wait for the van at the main road to direct the police to the house. The child waited from 04:25 until 06:00 but the police van never arrived.
The family again called on Saturday morning, and again on Sunday, where the police informed the victim that they were attending to a similar incident in the Diphitsing, a nearby area within Magogong. To date, the DA is informed that the police are yet to attend to the incident.
This issue is not an isolated incident in Magogong Village. During a recent DA oversight inspection to the village, we were informed by concerned residents of the continuous failure of SAPS to respond to serious crimes such as murder, rape, house burglary and robbery, as is the case here.
In 2019, the DA submitted a petition calling on the Minister of Police, Bheki Cele, to prioritize the reopening of Kokomeng Police Station to improve policing in the area. In March 2020, the Portfolio Committee on Police deliberated the petition calling for the reopening of the Kokomeng police station. The committee was also informed that a satellite police station was being prioritized for Magogong Village, however, since then, the Kokomeng Police Station has not been reopened and neither has the satellite police station been established.
The DA has written to Minister Cele, the National Police Commissioner, Lt Gen Fannie Masemola, and the North West Provincial Police Commissioner, Lt Gen Sello Kwena, to ensure that the SAPS respond to Me Ellen Motsako, and to confirm when the Kokomeng Police Station will be reopened and the satellite station in Magogong be established. See letter here.
The failure of SAPS to serve and protect rural communities is a direct result of the uncaring ANC government that continues to increase funding for VIP protection of ANC cadres while ordinary citizens are left to face the onslaught of violent crime on their own.