The escape from police custody of a man alleged to be a ringleader of illegal mining in Stilfontein in the North West has exposed how entrenched corruption is within our law enforcement.
Moments after James Neo Tshoaeli, commonly known as Tiger, was arrested with more than 80 other illegal miners last week, he was let loose before reaching the police station where he was meant to be locked up.
North West police have since launched a manhunt for Tshoaeli, a Lesotho national, alleged to be behind torture, assaults and operations at the disused mine where more than 70 illegal miners’ bodies were retrieved last week. What is alarming about Tshoaeli’s case is that police management believed their own officers facilitated his escape.
The shocking escape has not only raised questions about the integrity of law enforcement in dealing with the illegal mining problem but equally casts doubt on the police’s ability to tackle serious and organised crime.
Tshoaeli’s aided escape raises questions of corruption, negligence and a worrying degree of operational complacency and lethargy within the police service. With a global spotlight firmly on the Stilfontein mine and rescue efforts, how was the handling of the alleged kingpin and ringleader of an activity that led to the deaths of so many people not given the necessary priority?
Tshoaeli resurfaced from shaft 11 last Wednesday and was placed under arrest along with other illegal miners. However, according to North West police commissioner Maj-Gen Patrick Asaneng, Tshoaeli was never booked into various police stations where illegal miners are being detained. He was also not admitted to any hospital for medical care.
Asenang said Tshoaeli’s escape was an embarrassment to Operation Vala uMgodi, which has been established to deal with the illegal mining problem since December 2023. The escape exposes glaring signs that there are not enough safeguards in the police to deal with the illegal mining phenomenon and those behind it.
For the police management, who were already under scrutiny, not to have checks and balances in place for handling hardened criminals speaks of the hollowness of our law enforcement.
Such lapses and failures cast a long shadow of a waning public trust in the police. That the escape was communicated to the public many days after it happened further fosters cynicism and public resentment which will undermine community co-operation with efforts to re-arrest Tshoaeli. This case has put in jeopardy the integrity of police as a whole, bringing down a lot of good that some officers have done in the past.
Heads must roll to restore public confidence after this collapse.
SOWETAN SAYS | Tiger’s escape dents integrity of the police
Image: SAPS
The escape from police custody of a man alleged to be a ringleader of illegal mining in Stilfontein in the North West has exposed how entrenched corruption is within our law enforcement.
Moments after James Neo Tshoaeli, commonly known as Tiger, was arrested with more than 80 other illegal miners last week, he was let loose before reaching the police station where he was meant to be locked up.
North West police have since launched a manhunt for Tshoaeli, a Lesotho national, alleged to be behind torture, assaults and operations at the disused mine where more than 70 illegal miners’ bodies were retrieved last week. What is alarming about Tshoaeli’s case is that police management believed their own officers facilitated his escape.
The shocking escape has not only raised questions about the integrity of law enforcement in dealing with the illegal mining problem but equally casts doubt on the police’s ability to tackle serious and organised crime.
Tshoaeli’s aided escape raises questions of corruption, negligence and a worrying degree of operational complacency and lethargy within the police service. With a global spotlight firmly on the Stilfontein mine and rescue efforts, how was the handling of the alleged kingpin and ringleader of an activity that led to the deaths of so many people not given the necessary priority?
Tshoaeli resurfaced from shaft 11 last Wednesday and was placed under arrest along with other illegal miners. However, according to North West police commissioner Maj-Gen Patrick Asaneng, Tshoaeli was never booked into various police stations where illegal miners are being detained. He was also not admitted to any hospital for medical care.
Asenang said Tshoaeli’s escape was an embarrassment to Operation Vala uMgodi, which has been established to deal with the illegal mining problem since December 2023. The escape exposes glaring signs that there are not enough safeguards in the police to deal with the illegal mining phenomenon and those behind it.
For the police management, who were already under scrutiny, not to have checks and balances in place for handling hardened criminals speaks of the hollowness of our law enforcement.
Such lapses and failures cast a long shadow of a waning public trust in the police. That the escape was communicated to the public many days after it happened further fosters cynicism and public resentment which will undermine community co-operation with efforts to re-arrest Tshoaeli. This case has put in jeopardy the integrity of police as a whole, bringing down a lot of good that some officers have done in the past.
Heads must roll to restore public confidence after this collapse.
Manhunt for Stilfontein ringleader who escaped from custody
'Tiger was cruel, using sjambok to control the miners'
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