It is upsetting that police are now forced to start all over with investigations into the rape of eight women in an old mine in Krugersdorp.
They have nobody else to blame but themselves. As it turns out, the men who had been charged with rape, sexual assault and robbery of the models were not the ones who committed the crimes.
This comes after the 14 suspects that they were initially arrested were cleared of the crimes last week.
National Prosecuting Authority spokesperson Phindi Mjonondwane said the charges were dropped as there was insufficient evidence, after the 14 could not be linked to the rapes through DNA tests.
The models were shooting a music video on July 30 when they were attacked by unknown men. The perpetrators were believed to be zama zamas (illegal miners), and five of the eight were gang-raped.
Sadly, three months later there is no sign of justice for the women. This turns out to be a bungle-up by the police who at the time of the arrests said they had a strong case against the suspects.
This past weekend, police minister Bheki Cele once again told eNCA that he was confident the case would be solved soon by the police.
Why must we believe you this time, Mr Cele?
The police minister’s assurances to the public do not seem to be backed up by strategy but just his usual reactions to tense situations.
SOWETAN | Why must we believe you Cele?
Image: Sandile Ndlovu
It is upsetting that police are now forced to start all over with investigations into the rape of eight women in an old mine in Krugersdorp.
They have nobody else to blame but themselves. As it turns out, the men who had been charged with rape, sexual assault and robbery of the models were not the ones who committed the crimes.
This comes after the 14 suspects that they were initially arrested were cleared of the crimes last week.
National Prosecuting Authority spokesperson Phindi Mjonondwane said the charges were dropped as there was insufficient evidence, after the 14 could not be linked to the rapes through DNA tests.
The models were shooting a music video on July 30 when they were attacked by unknown men. The perpetrators were believed to be zama zamas (illegal miners), and five of the eight were gang-raped.
Sadly, three months later there is no sign of justice for the women. This turns out to be a bungle-up by the police who at the time of the arrests said they had a strong case against the suspects.
This past weekend, police minister Bheki Cele once again told eNCA that he was confident the case would be solved soon by the police.
Why must we believe you this time, Mr Cele?
The police minister’s assurances to the public do not seem to be backed up by strategy but just his usual reactions to tense situations.
SOWETAN | Why must we believe you Cele?
As we saw in this same case in August, there was a week of protests by angry residents in Krugersdorp following the rapes. Frustrated residents had taken to the streets, complaining about corrupt police officers who were in the pockets of criminals.
They threatened to take the law into their own hands by hunting down the criminals in the area themselves. Then, we saw police coming in, arresting scores of zama zamas.
Whenever crimes flares up in an area, Cele visits to deploy specialised units and promise imminent arrests. That is not a good strategy to deal with crime, it does not solve the long-term problem of crime.
Also, working under pressure leads to rushed work which results in mistakes. When cases are withdrawn due to mistakes, the little trust the public has in the police is further eroded.
We need properly trained officers and more personnel to deal with crime on the ground, and an SA Police Service that is free of corrupt cops.
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