Mr Speaker, nine people have been killed so far in incidents of vigilantism related to stock theft. The areas and residents of Mthaleni, Gxushaneni and Sifuleni are on a knife edge because of the recent spates of violence that have occurred. What is the Minister of Police doing in order to prevent the people of these areas from taking the law into their own hands?
There is great frustration amongst the people because of the incompetence of our police force and this frustration has led to people taking the law into their own hands. This situation was made worse by the allegations that members of the SACP are directly involved in these stock theft gangs. Are these allegations being investigated? The Minister must appoint a task team to investigate this. We cannot have a situation where civilians have to protect themselves from criminals within the ranks of the police service. Thank you.