Photo by Masixole Feni.
22 July 2014
Escorted by the metro police and the South African Police Service (SAPS), carrying a huge banner written “Criminals are being nursed by the system, justice must prevail”, the Treatment Action Campaign (TAC) led a march through Khayelitsha to demand safe communities.
About three weeks ago, Dr Michael Aluko, who worked at both the Site B clinic and the Khayelitsha Hospital was hijacked and killed while buying lunch at the BP Garage in Site B. The In a statement TAC said that the march was their small attempt to reassure Dr Aluko’s family, colleagues, friends and the health sector that TAC and would do its best to ensure justice prevailed and that the murderers are punished.
TAC provincial organiser, Lumkile Sizila, who addressed the marchers outside Site B police station said they would make sure that the government does its job. “We’ve had enough of the Khayelitsha crime that makes people scared to come here. We want Khayelitsha to be like Camps Bay. The health sector has suffered a great loss with the death of Dr Aluko and right now we want the law to take its course and we want this to happen quickly”.
As marchers continuously filled the pavements which lead to the entrance of the police station, struggle songs were sung and placards waved in the air. Five SAPS members stood in front of the marchers while police cars and vans rode in and out of the yard. One clearly irritated policeman driving a police van, almost rode over a journalist’s foot while forcing his way through the yard, much to the anger of the crowd who sang louder.
Ward 89 councillor, Monde Nqulwana, also took part in the march.
Two memorandums were presented, one to the Khayelitsha Magistrate’s court and the other to Site B police station where it was received by Lieutenant Colonel Xoliswa Maseti.
The memorandum handed over to the court demanded “regular communication between the court and the victim or victim’s family.” It said, “We condemn the disappearance of dockets at court and often this leads to unnecessary delays and eventually cases are sadly dismissed”. It also condemned unnecessary postponements and delays, which cause “painful inconvenience” to the grieving family. It said, “We demand effective communication between the investigating officers and the prosecutors. … poor communication leads to poor evidence and ultimately to cases [being] dismissed …”.
The memorandum handed over to the Site B police station said, “We demand a proper and thorough investigation that will lead to a speedy trial and prosecution of Dr. Aluko‘s killer(s) and other cases.” It continued, “[We] also demand that all crime scenes must be secured and collection of evidence must take place in order to have watertight cases.” The memorandum also called for more visible policing and protection of essential services including clinics, hospitals and schools.
Both memorandums requested answers within 14 working days.