Muizenberg residents have started a petition in support of Muizenberg police officers whom they say were unfairly moved and transferred against their will due to “bogus” charges.
According to the petition, Muizenberg Police Station Commander Col Vassie Naidoo and Lt Col Margaret Rossouw have been transferred with immediate effect, for the second time in two years.
Naidoo and Rossouw face 24 charges, mainly of common assault.
According to the petition, neither the Muizenberg Community Policing Forum (CPF) nor the security stakeholders and neighbourhood watches were advised or consulted by police prior to the removal of the officers.
“The CPF is deeply concerned and has requested an urgent meeting with police Gen Thembisile Patekile, provincial commissioner.
When Charles Kinnear, the head of the anti-gang unit was murdered, there was general concern that senior police officers might be in cahoots with the gangs.
“Cases have already been withdrawn against some of the alleged gang members, and who will now hold the line against gangsters, gun-wielding criminals and rapists that will be released onto our streets?”
The petition further states that police have an obligation to explain why they have taken these actions; and to prove that police officers were not removed when they made lives difficult for gangsters.
Commenting on the petition and allegations, Ward 64 councillor Aimee Kuhl said the absence of the colonels had a detrimental effect on the effectiveness of Muizenberg police to fight crime.
“I am deeply concerned that this is not being resolved with utmost urgency. We have been at this point before.
“In September 2020, the colonels concerned were moved, importantly not suspended, to provincial positions – only to return to their posts after all charges had been dropped in December 2020.
“In February this year, Col Naidoo and Rossouw have yet again been moved pending the outcome of another investigation. Gang activity and crime have sky rocketed in the precinct since. So clearly the absence of these colonels has had detrimental effects on the effectiveness of the Muizenberg Police Station to fight crime.”
Kuhl added that the provincial commissioner did not care about the communities who desperately need effective policing.
“This is especially against the background of having been rated best performing station in the country several times under the leadership of Col Naidoo and Col Rossouw.
“Clearly, the provincial commissioner does not care about the communities who so desperately need effective policing. Because if he did he would have made sure that the process would have been resolved swiftly without drawn out court dates especially as it is deemed an ‘internal matter’. At a minimum he would have provided effective senior leadership at the Muizenberg Police Station in Col Naidoo’s sorely missed absence. I am not surprised that the community believes this is an unwarranted and unsubstantiated witch-hunt against two stellar performing police members.”
When the People’s Post reached out to the provincial police, spokesperson Col Andrè Traut said it was an internal matter.
“Kindly be advised that the matter cited in your enquiry is an internal affair between the employer and the employees and will be treated as such.”
Muizenberg Policing Forum (CPF) deputy chair Frank Bokhorst said he is very concerned. “I have seen all the indictments and it’s not going to be very simple to come to the actual basis of this. We cannot decide on what the facts are, but what we do know is that the CPF was not consulted, the CPF was not involved and certainly we as CPF can play a role in transparency, accountability of police and that is really what we were trying to do when we went to see the provincial commissioner.”
