The softer side of Saps

FOR the first time in 30 years, I was forced to deal directly with the police this past holiday season and the encounter left me with a pleasant feeling deep in my gut.

I now truly believe that a lot has happened since the police became a service under the ANC-led government rather than the brutal force it was during the apartheid era.

My beloved nephew, Lucky Letsoko (35), died tragically in a car accident at the Balfour/Villiers area of Mpumalanga on December 16 last year.

Because the South African Police Service (Saps) police handled the whole matter in a professional manner, I think this column is duty-bound to give praise where it is due - especially in the light of the harsh criticism I directed at the police and their leader, Riah Phiyega, in the past year.

For instance, late last year I complained that Saps was bungling major crime investigations, prompting courts to drop charges in shocking murder cases.

This was in the wake of two high-profile murder charges that were dropped against alleged suspects.

These cases involved the death of four-year-old Taegrin Morris of Reiger Park in Ekurhuleni, who died at the hands of car hijackers. His suspected killer, Thamsanqa Thwala, was released from custody late last year.

I also decried the dropping of charges against the suspect who was arrested for the murder of the late Orlando Pirates goalie, Senzo Meyiwa.

The column correctly reiterated that South Africans were left feeling cheated by the incident.

READ: Too much police bungling

At the time, I said that when cries for justice go unheard too often, violence can erupt. This referred to the fact that people could start taking the law into their own hands.

I even went to the extent of calling for Phiyega to step down as national police commissioner.

READ: Should Phiyega step down?

I want to be the first to admit that at the time little had been said about other good things that men and women in uniform do. Back to the manner in which the police handled my nephew’s death.

Police went to the scene of the accident, called up the wrecked car’s registration on their PCs and found his address and other details of the deceased.

The Balfour police then contacted Vereeniging police, who promptly rushed to my sister’s house to report the death.

This, I am told, was done in the most respectful manner. When I took over all communication as a family spokesperson, I was met with unbelievable kindness from the police.

The police officers at Vereeniging Police Station were willing to link us with the Balfour police even in the middle of the night on the day of the accident.

There was no sign of any form of the negative attitude many South Africans have come to expect from police. They were all smiles and willing to help.

Every last bit of cash left in wallet

When my nephew died, he had a significant amount of cash in his wallet. A police sergeant at Grootvlei Police Station called me, urging me to fetch the money and his cellphone as soon as possible. Our investigations later showed that this was the correct amount of money. Nothing had been taken from this cash.

As if this was not enough, the police also accompanied the family to the accident scene so that certain traditional rituals could be conducted there. I am told this was a long distance from the police station.

If there is one thing that will never be taken away from the Balfour and Vereeniging police, it is their moral courage. At least this is what I learnt.  

Their decision was to do the right thing in the face of many temptations. We have heard allegations of police officers stealing money at accident scenes, and police giving people the runaround instead of assisting them.

Police behaviour in the case of my nephew’s death was particularly cordial and an example of the new thinking that very much symbolises what in South Africa is called the “1994 Generation”.

This is a stream of thinking that seeks to shake up South Africa, or at least the country's old negative traditions.

There are many things that are wrong with the ANC-led government, but my experience with the police over the festive season showed me that a lot of good is being done out there.

*Mzwandile Jacks is an independent journalist. Opinions expressed are his own.