State cracks down on instigators
Bathandwa Mbola
26 May 2008
The National Prosecuting Authority (NPA), South African Police Service (SAPS) and Department of Justice have partnered to set up special courts to ensure that cases involving attacks on foreigners are dealt with strongly and speedily.
At least 40 people have been killed and over 25 000 left homeless in the past two weeks since mobs began attacking migrants from African countries in townships and informal settlements in and around Johannesburg and other parts of the country.
According to a joint statement by the SAPS and NPA, nodal points will be established with allocated prosecutors who will to work with the police in each province, where all cases will be centrally coordinated and monitored.
From the time the police make arrests they will meet with the prosecutors to review and discuss the dockets, to ensure that they are "court ready" as soon as possible.
"The prosecutors have been advised to vehemently oppose bail in the interest of justice and apply for heavy sentences," the statement read.
Over 500 arrests have already been made and are being addressed with high priority.
A man was also shot and killed in Springs to the east of Johannesburg after he pointed a firearm at a member of the SA National Defence Force, the Department of Defence said in a statement on Saturday.
The incident took place on Friday night as the army was providing back-up support for the police during a search operation. Preliminary investigations have indicated that the gun the man was using was stolen in a robbery in the area in 2004.
Meanwhile, South Africa's intelligence services are working around the clock to establish the cause of the wave of attacks on foreigners.
Intelligence Minister Ronnie Kasrils, speaking during his department's budget vote debate in Parliament in Cape Town on Friday, said the attacks could be the result of opportunistic elements manipulating genuine local grievances for their own ends.
"There are elements of strings being pulled, and that is what the services must get to the bottom off. Of course we must be very careful not to talk about perceptions; not to jump to conclusions," Kasrils added.
"These unpardonable acts bring to the fore the need to intensify the implementation of government's efforts to eradicate poverty and reinforce our housing and service delivery programmes," he said.
Source: BuaNews
