Marianne Merten
Non-governmental agencies in Cape Town are growing increasingly sceptical of the police’s ability to end the violence in the Cape and many are formulating new plans to stop the conflict.
Several observers said that at the heart of the problem was the increasing politicisation of policing in the Western Cape.
In the run-up to the elections, crime and particularly the actions of People against Gangsterism and Drugs (Pagad) have become a political football between the New National Party and the African National Congress.
Following the death of Yussuf Jacobs (24), who was hit in the temple by a police rubber bullet at a demonstration at the Castle last Friday, questions have been raised about police efficiency.
The police watchdog, the Independent Complaints Directorate (ICD), is investigating a case of murder and one of attempted murder. Amid threats of retaliation against police, the ICD is hoping to finalise its investigation quickly.
The ICD’s Riaaz Saloojee said it was investigating riot police claims that they were fired on first; reacted after guns were allegedly handed out to protesters from two cars; fired what they described as rubber pellets and gas; and drew their service pistols, but did not fire them.
A policing training source said last Friday’s protest, as well as the demonstration outside the United States consulate the previous day, may have been illegal, but that did not justify the manner in which police reacted. “I think what they wanted to do was to sent out a strong `zero tolerance’ message. But they overreacted.”
The source said it was unexplainable why police management had allowed a captain – a junior officer in the ranking system – to be in command of the situation at the Castle.
The source said that if guns were handed out, the police should have acted with minimal force. They could have stopped the cars, searched them and arrested suspects, as handing out firearms at demonstrations is a crime.
Police specialist trainer at the Cape Town-based Centre for Conflict Resolution, Eldred de Klerk, said it was incumbent on the police to put their best people in place to manage what quite clearly was a potentially explosive situation. Police should be flexible enough to enforce the law or arrest suspects with minimum force without giving rise to confrontations.
He said the incident at the Castle highlighted problems within the highly politicised environment of the province. “The police and political leadership in the Western Cape are lacking credibility and legitimacy.”
Several initiatives by non-governmental groups are in the process of being formalised. On the table for consideration by provincial authorities is a proposal to kick off an independent monitoring presence at marches to avoid further confrontations.
Mediator Craig Arendse, who in 1997 tried to bring police and Pagad together, has said he wants to help break the renewed circle of violence.
Now director at the Mediation and Transformation Practice, Arendse said he can no longer stand back as communities are marred by the violence and backlashes against both Muslims and police. “There is a big thing of demonising happening. If this is how people view each other, we are in big trouble,” he said.
Arendse said it was important to look at how the conflict could be reduced in a constructive manner, particularly as the potential for violence is increasing before the elections. “Prior to the elections in 1994, brutal forces created havoc. I can’t understand why we still use old-style policing.”