Just hours after Minister of Safety and Security Charles Nqakula told the nation that burglaries at commercial and residential properties were down, his own party’s caucus was bemoaning the fact that there had been ”a spate of burglaries at parliamentary residential villages” in Cape Town.
African National Congress caucus spokesperson Mpho Lekgoro said in a statement on Wednesday that ”the ANC parliamentary caucus regrets the spate of burglaries at parliamentary residential villages, occurring mostly during the period when members are on constituency work”.
MPs started their constituency and leave period last Friday for three weeks and left the parliamentary villages where they are housed during the parliamentary session.
Lekgoro said: ”We are dismayed at the sorry state of safety and security at residences of public representatives.
”The burglaries at residences of the three ANC MPs, in Acasia Park over the weekend, are extremely regrettable. Items stolen include entertainment and office equipment.”
Lekgoro said one of the three victims was the recently appointed National Assembly House chairperson Obed Bapela, who was in Zambia on official duty when an ”unfortunate incident” happened.
”His house was ransacked, and a fax machine and entertainment systems were stolen.
”We condemn the sluggish response by the Goodwood police to these incidents. It took more than 24 hours before the officers could arrive at Bapela’s house. This is unacceptable, as it undermines the good reputation being built tirelessly by thousands of dedicated police officers across the country.
”The caucus will be monitoring the situation closely, to ensure that the culprits are taken to book.”
At the Union Buildings in Pretoria on Wednesday, Nqakula said that burglaries at residential premises dropped by 8,1% between 2003/04 and 2004/05, from 645,2 incidents per 100 000 members of the population to 592,8 respectively in these years.
He said changes in the policing environment — including better training, better conditions and better interaction with communities — looked to a bright future for the service and the fight against crime.
”The future … looks very rosy,” he said. — I-Net Bridge