The Minister of Police, Mr Nathi Mthethwa, interacted with the Musina community during an event at the Lesley Manyathela Stadium last Friday.

He could not stay as long as initially planned, however, as he was summoned to accompany Pres Jacob Zuma to the Lonmin Marikana miners' strike in the North West.

The provincial commissioner of the SAPS, Lt Gen Simon Mpembe, indicated that people must not feel afraid to air their views and share ideas. “I warn all wayward residents who stage illegal marches, barricade roads and burn houses,” he said. “If you've got a problem, talk to us.”

The community in the Musina Municipality has tons of problems and issues which relate to the SAPS. People complained that the magumaguma (illegal immigrants who are dangerous criminals) terrorise the community by mugging people and accumulating wealth for themselves by theft. Magumaguma are said to be very dangerous, because when the victim refuses to give in, they either rape or kill them to prove their point. “People die among us,” said one resident. "The police are doing little to redeem crimes by magumaguma."

Another comlaint was that feuding taxi associations abused commuters when they submitted grievances with the taxi association offices about misconduct of taxi drivers or taxi owners.

One resident said he knew of a taxi driver who had been involved in a rape case where the victim was a minor. However, the case had not gone any further after the taxi association had bribed the police and the girl's indigent mother. According to the speaker, nearly everyone who cared in Musina knew that the taxi association had subsequently built a two-roomed house for the girl's mother.

Mpembe acknowledged all the complaints. “The issue of detectives' not giving feedback makes me sick,” he said. “No police officer should tell a complainant that computers are off-line and that they cannot be assisted because of that.”

Safety, Security and Liason's MEC Florence Radzilani said that one of her department’s duties was to promote a healthy relationship between the SAPS and communities. She advised parents to monitor their children at all times, indicating that there were grown-ups out there who used young children to achieve their criminal goals.

Mpembe told people to direct their complaints to the station commissioner and, if the station failed them, he would come down to investigate. “The government is here to serve the people,” Mpembe said.