Defence Minister Thandi Modise has defended the use of criminal suspects’ nationalities by the police.
DEFENCE Minister Thandi Modise has defended the use of criminal suspects’ nationalities by the police.
Modise was responding to questions during the justice, crime prevention and security cluster briefing following President Cyril Ramaphosa’s State of the Nation address.
”I have no problem with the police keeping mum on the nationalities of suspects but I think that sometimes we are too shy to say to people who cross our borders, both legally and illegally, and reside amongst us, who do not respect our laws and traditions and cultures, that we are fed up,” Modise said.
She insisted that this did not make South Africans xenophobic.
“I make an example which sounds like nothing. When I entered Tanzania in 1976 I was wearing a mini-skirt and the mini-skirt was outlawed in Tanzania. I could not leave the airport until the ANC had found me a kanga to wear to respect the laws of the country,” Modise explained.
She said in every country she has been she made sure she was on the right side of the law.
”The truth of the matter is that most (criminal) syndicates are not run by South Africans and we are not ashamed to say that. We need to say ‘come stay with us if you are legal’ … if you are illegal approach us for help. If you are illegal we are also not going to be apologetic about it but please respect us,” Modise said.
During the briefing, Modise said the SAPS has embarked on nationwide recruitment of at least 12,000 youth to join it before the end of the year.
This recruitment of 7,000 is in its final stages while later in the year the SAPS will recruit an additional 5,000 to undergo training in 2023.
”The 7,000 are from the 2019/20 intake that was ready to embark on the basic police and development programme when the country was put under hard lockdown in March 2020.
“The training of this 7,000 plus an additional 3,000 made up of SAPS reservists and Public Service Administration members will commence in the 2022/23 financial year,” Modise said.
– Political Bureau
