Police minister Bheki Cele says areas with undocumented foreign nationals are crime hotspots, even outside the festive season.

Cele led a law enforcement operation in Durban at the weekend after the arrest of several undocumented foreign nationals at a building on Mahatma Gandhi (Point) Road as part of the Safer Festive Season launch.

It is alleged the foreigners failed to produce documentation to be in the country legally.

Cele said hotspot areas will be under close police watch.

“Anywhere where there are people with a high visibility of untraceability is a problem. In these areas there are people who come from different countries. We have a way of tracing and identifying people in South Africa, and if they are not in the system, whatever crime they commit, it will be very difficult to trace them. It is a hotspot not only during Christmas but all the time,” said Cele. 

Cele again called on police officers to at all costs protect and serve South Africans during the festive season and beyond, saying police who will be part of Safer Festive Season operations will be compensated for heeding the call not to take leave in December.

“There will be equivalent compensation for members who will be called to be available for people to be safe. I don’t have energy to fight any other war except fighting crime and following the constitution to prevent and investigate crime through officers who uphold and enforce the laws,” he said.

Last week, the South African Policing Union (Sapu) rubbished Cele’s remarks that police officers would not be allowed to take leave from December 15 until the end of January next year.

“Sapu would like to send a stern warning to minister Cele that his populist approach to policing will cause unnecessary tension in the police and that will cause instability. We have noted with concern that minister Cele is a populist who enjoys television cameras and will stop at nothing to grab media headlines,” the union said.

It reiterated that police officers will, like any other public servant, enjoy labour rights, including taking leave during the December period.

The union said any change to the conditions of employment must be negotiated at the Safety and Security Sectoral Bargaining Council.

“As we speak, members have submitted approved leave plans which include December. We want to say to the minister of police that officers who have leave planned for December will take their leave despite his utterances.

“We also want to warn national police commissioner Gen Fannie Masemola not to accede to political pressure from the police minister and try to cancel leave by taking unlawful instructions, like the one made by the minister.”

TimesLIVE