EDITORIAL: Fikile Mbalula needs a cool head
The newly appointed police minister will need to concentrate on improving the training of public order police, station-based police officers and detectives if he wants to see better results in fighting crime
Newly appointed Police Minister Fikile Mbalula has never been shy about shooting his mouth off concerning his various portfolios in government. No doubt some die-hard rugby fans were offended when Mbalula, while serving as sport minister, described the Springboks as a "bunch of losers", although this was quite true at the time. They would probably have agreed, though, when he urged the Springboks to "moer" the opposition on the eve of their departure for the 2015 World Cup. But these comments were not about life and death. Rash comments in the law and order environment are far more dangerous. When appointed deputy police minister in 2009, Mbalula enthusiastically followed in the footsteps of his predecessor, Susan Shabangu, in urging police officers to use maximum force in dealing with criminals or suspected criminals. Shabangu most famously told police to "kill the bastards" and not to worry about regulations pertaining to the use of firearms. Mbalula described the fight against cr...
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