Calls for replacement of all Dibete police officers
Kgosi Lekgatlhanye Mabua of Dibete village is not happy with the service of police officers in his area. They are too relaxed while his people perish, he laments.
In fact, Kgosi wants the entire Dibete Police Station dismantled and fresh faces brought in.
“I am not happy, when horrible things like murder occur in Dibete, the police always take their time. They are never proactive; when they are called, they always say they have no transport to bring them to the crime scenes.
“They take hours to arrive, I am not happy with the police and my people are not happy either,” he said.
Kgosi recalled how a few months ago, a woman was stabbed to death by what seemed to be a bitter ex-lover just in front of the Kgotla.
Kgosi shared that the matter had actually been reported to the police in the past that the man was abusing her. “This is eating me up, people will think I am relaxed when in all truth, I am against what is happening,” he said.
The suspect used to beat the woman, even assaulted her husband at one point. The police knew about all this, he says.
Kgosi alleges that he was one of the first people to arrive at the Kgotla that day, while it took the police close to two hours to arrive at the scene.
When the police arrived, people had long gathered, including children of the deceased who were from school.
“The children found their mother lying there dead, she was not covered, it was horrible.”
Another murder incident happened a few weeks back in Dibete when 23-year-old Obuile Nkokomane was allegedly stabbed to death by Emmanuel Ramotsoko, and still, the cops allegedly took long to arrive.
According to Kgosi Mabua, villagers were angry, they even wanted to go and burn down the police station.
“Our police officers are not working. I spoke to the station commander. There are many cars at traffic department, why they cannot use some of those is beyond me, the more they delay, the more crime scenes are contaminated,” Kgosi said, adding that it seems they are failing as leadership.
Kgosi said when a victim reports at Dibete Police on Friday and after 1630hrs, or during the weekend, they are given a medical form to be filled by the hospital and told to report at the Kgotla on Monday.
“Will that not give those who wronged or abused them an opportunity to finish off their victims?”
Mabua cautioned the police to stop being counsellors, saying when villagers come to them, instead of arresting the accused and opening a case, the police start trying to reconcile the two.
“There is no need to reconcile, there are people who are trained to do that. The police should know their job,” he said.
Dibete Station Commander Meshack Ranku expressed shock at Kgosi Mabua‘s utterances but refrained from commenting further.
Officer Commanding N0.16 District Senior Superintendent Reuben Mphoeng expressed total ignorance about the matter. “I will not comment further but rather engage with the station commander and Kgosi on the matter,” he said.