Dozens of people marched in Bethlehem, Free State, on Wednesday to deliver memoranda demanding action on crime. Photo: Tladi Moloi
Members of the Bohlokong Community Against Drugs and Crime in Bethlehem, Free State, marched to the magistrates’ court and police station on Wednesday to hand over memoranda demanding action against crime.
The group has threatened to close the city if the ministries of justice and police do not take action.
They say criminals, including known drug dealers, are escaping justice.
In October 2022, the Bohlokong community protested and attacked some of the shops they claimed were selling drugs. They burned cars, shops and a scrap yard.
One of the demands in the memorandum submitted to the Justice Department is an investigation into cases where suspected drug dealers are released on bail.
In the memorandum to the police, the demonstrators demand faster laboratory processing for drug cases and better street patrols. “We are experiencing a high number of homicides in our city recently, compared to the time when we had neighborhood patrols. We are confident that SAPS has sufficient resources and equipment to do a better job than patrols,” they said.
Ntsekiseng Mahlatsi, a senior clerk at the Bethlehem Magistrates Court, and Lieutenant General Kedibone Mokalake, SAPS district commander in Thabo Mofutsanyana, received the memoranda and promised feedback within a fortnight.
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By Tladi Moloi
groundup.org.za
