Minister of Safety and Security Charles Nqakula on Tuesday reiterated his defence of a recent remark in Parliament that people who ”whinged” about crime should leave the country.
He told editors and journalists at a police media day in Johannesburg that his words were directed at three negative opposition MPs taking part in the debate during his Budget vote.
”This [his remark] was meant for them … this was politicking. I was politicking — they were politicking.
”I would never say people who complain about crime should leave the country.”
In a wide-ranging interaction with journalists, Nqakula also defended the dismantling of the commando system. He said the commandos were a military unit, not trained to fight crime. The government’s current rural safety plan, on the other hand, is based on crime-fighting principles.
On crime reporters’ complaints that they had difficulty in obtaining details when airport heist money was stolen from a Benoni police safe, Nqakula said police were wrong to try to withhold information on the incident.
”I cannot for the life of me see why [media-liaison officers] could not say that among the suspects are police. It does not compromise the investigation at all.”
Nqakula — who was himself a newspaper reporter and former deputy president of the Union of Black Journalists in the 1970s — told his audience that as police minister he got ”the biggest bulk” of questions in Parliament.
Some of these questions, he felt, compromised certain security concerns.
The minister made reference to a question on how many bodyguards were assigned to former deputy president Jacob Zuma. He argued that giving details on Zuma’s security arrangements would compromise his safety.
”And did you know we have various guarding duties? We are still guarding former [vice-] president Alwyn Schlebush … we are still guarding the Old Krokodil [PW Botha].”
The minister also expressed ”the regret of my ministry” to passengers aboard the South African Airways aircraft that was subject to a hijacking attempt at the weekend. Some passengers complained they were sworn at and slapped by police when they came aboard the aircraft after it had landed at Cape Town International airport.
”People feel they were ruffled by police … but the primary goal was to protect people.”
On the controversy surrounding the deportation of Pakistani national Khalid Mahmood Rashid, Nqakula declared: ”The truth is Rashid was in the country illegally and was in possession of illegal documents.”
On Monday, an application to have Rashid’s deportation declared unlawful was ruled as not urgent by a Pretoria High Court judge. — Sapa