Police minister Bheki Cele ordered Eastern Cape officials to pull up their socks, saying that that the news that Lusikisiki had overtaken Inanda in KwaZulu-Natal as the rape capital of SA was nothing to be proud of.
Cele was speaking at the memorial service for four young SAPS officials — Constables Buqaqawuli Nyembezi, Lungelo Nogqala and Mkhuseli Lila, and secretary Ntombikayise Landu — held at the police academy in Mthatha on Thursday.
The four died in a car accident last weekend travelling home to Mthatha in a police vehicle from Ngcobo, where they had conducted crime prevention campaigns. They were involved in a crash with a truck on the R61.
“Lusikisiki has overtaken Inanda as the rape capital of the country. This means the work that was begun here by these fallen patriots needs to be amplified,” Cele said.
The minister called for men to stop treating women as subhuman.
“They are fully human and they are nobody's property. Most women are smarter than many of us men; that is a fact.
“President [Cyril Ramaphosa] has called gender-based violence [GBV] a second pandemic.”
He said a law should be developed where people who influenced rape victims would be arrested. It should also be against the law to withdraw rape cases.
“Rape is rape; it cannot be discussed in a family meeting. It should remain a police matter and treated as such,” said Cele.
The minister said he was concerned by some budgetary cuts and constraints within the department
National commissioner Gen Khehla Sithole said the minister and provincial commissioner Lt- Gen Liziwe Ntshinga should take the issue of Ngcobo into consideration.
In 2018, five policemen were shot dead. Three others died on the R61 between Ngcobo and Mthatha on their way back from the funeral of the gunned-down members.
“We need divine intervention because God keeps sending us back to Ngcobo — we will find what God wants us to do in Ngcobo,” he said.
Sithole saluted the fallen heroes.
“The fallen heroes were responsible for the declaration of war against GBV and they were all in the front line of the battle when the accident happened.”
Safety and liaison MEC Weziwe Tikana-Gxothiwe said the province was thankful that the term of office of provincial commissioner Lt-Gen Ntshinga had been extended.
Ntshinga said the death of the four SAPS officials had been a big blow to the service.
She said they had died while returning from GBV operations in Cofimvaba and Ngcobo.
“The Eastern Cape is one of the provinces with a high incidence of gender-based violence.
“They were future leaders; they were young and energetic.
“They helped avert a mob attack and one of them was praying for the parade in Ngcobo, where they were, but unfortunately it was his last prayer for the group,” said Ntshinga .
One of the deceased was buried last week and the others will be buried this weekend.
Ntshinga will attend all the funerals.
DispatchLIVE
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