African National Congress (ANC) National Executive Committee (NEC) member and Police Minister Senzo Mchunu on Tuesday acknowledged that while crime was not under control in the country, the media must allow police the space to work.

Mchunu gave an address during day three of the ANC NEC’s Lekgotla, where he urged the media to give the South African Police Service (Saps) space to investigate crimes and “do their work, without being victimised”.

He referred to a recent news report, in which he said the journalist used a phrase that victimised officers for defending themselves.

He was referring to an attempted cash-in-transit heist in Khayelitsha on Monday, where police, being part of a multidisciplinary team, intercepted a gang, before they were shot at. Police returned fire, resulting in the death of eight suspects and the arrest of five.

Mchunu stated that in a democratic country “different opinions are accepted”, however, he said the media “must give Saps space to work”.

“We cannot be complaining about everything; you complain about high rising levels of crimes, and we condemn police for not acting, and when they get prevented from acting via shootings at them, and when they protect themselves, defend themselves, and you all [media] are the ones that come forward immediately,” he said.

He said it was “unfair and wrong” that the police were victimised for protecting themselves against criminals, stressing the need for officers to defend themselves.

He said the Saps welcomed what the officers did in Khayelitsha.

“Police officers had to defend themselves by firing back, and in doing so this has left a number of people dead. It is important that I must mention that five AK47s were found there, this is a very high calibre weapon and is related to war. There was also an R4 [rifle] and other sorts of weapons,” he said.

He noted that the Saps was also “strongly worried” about the availability of various drugs in the country, noting that murder and drugs were priorities, while pointing out that kidnappings and extortions were also on the rise.

PASTOR MBORO

Meanwhile, Mchunu said he strongly condemned the incidents at Matsediso Primary School in Katlehong, where religious leader Paseka "Pastor Mboro" Motsoeneng was seen in a tense stand-off with a group of teachers, waving a machete and threatening staff.

Motsoeneng is said to have gone to the school demanding to fetch two children he allegedly did not have custody of.

“It’s something we condemn when a community leader or a citizen carries what appears to be firearms and a bush knife to an institution like education for whatever reasons and brandish such things like a panga and causes commotion because it causes anxiety among children,” said Mchunu.

He said four people related to the incident had been arrested so far, with Saps hoping for more arrests.

ActionSA also condemned the incident, calling for enhanced security measures in schools, especially in high-risk communities.

“Consequently, there is an urgent need for law enforcement to ensure that incidents like the one that transpired yesterday are never repeated. ActionSA calls for immediate action to bring the perpetrators to justice and restore safety at the Matsediso Primary School,” said ActionSA national spokesperson Lerato Ngobeni.