A row is brewing between the local CPF and the community of Itireleng, concerning the legitimacy of the CPF, alleged threats that certain CPF members made and the apparent brandishing of firearms by certain CPF members.
The incident follows a recent meeting held at the Civic Center boardroom in the Laudium CBD, which was held this past Tuesday (October 20), to discuss funeral arrangements for the five residents of Itireleng who were gunned down by armed thugs at the local shebeen. Jeffrey Ntsienie, one of the community leaders from Itireleng, told the Laudium Sun, “We are mourning and are still in shock after what happened in our community, when our people were gunned down for no reason. We were having a meeting at the soccer grounds, as residents of Itireleng, on Monday night to discuss how we could assist the families of the deceased. But whilst at the grounds, we were threatened by some CPF guys and this community patrol guy, Prajay, who were intimidating us and brandishing guns, and telling us, they will defend themselves and the community. Defending from who and for what? I do not know, because we were not planning anything violent, besides we were all mourning. They accused us of planning to burn the Police Station and planning to attack the shops in the Laudium CBD. Firstly, this is a lie as we did not plan to attack the shops. Yes, some of our people proposed marching to the Police Station to demand that the police speedily arrest the culprits who were involved in the mass shooting of innocent people. What is wrong with that? It was to be a peaceful march, but Councilor Essop spoke to us and we abandoned that plan. We complained to Councillor Essop about the unacceptable behaviour of the CPF. Secondly, if they as a so called ‘CPF’ had any information on our so called ‘attack’, they should give that information to the police to deal with, as they themselves are not the police. So, when Councillor Essop called the meeting at the Civic Center on Tuesday morning, we told him we do not want the CPF there. So when we saw one of the CPF members coming into the meeting on Tuesday, all of us from Itireleng that were present, told him to get out. I understand that his name is Vineet Rama and he is the Deputy CPF Chairperson. We do not want Prajay or Vineet and those CPF members who threatened us at the grounds, to come to Itireleng, as we believe that they are sowing divisions between the people of Itireleng and the people of Laudium, who have been living peacefully side by side. We do not recognize the CPF and demand that they be disbanded. There should be new elections held, whereby the community is involved to elect new members. We are also asking that the police be more visible in Itireleng and to have a mobile police station in Itireleng.”
Councilor Mohamed Essop, said, “I spoke to some of the leadership of Itireleng who told me that they were preparing to have a peaceful march to the Police Station, but there was nothing planned about the CBD. I nevertheless convinced them to leave out the march to the Police Station and to give the police some time to investigate the cold-blooded killings and to hopefully arrest the culprits. I explained that what was most important now, was to support the grieving families and to assist with the transporting of the bodies back to their hometowns. Thus, I arranged the meeting at the Civic Center this past Tuesday, to address the complaints against the CPF and the police investigation on the killings. Candidate Councilor Naeem Patel was also there, as he had arranged for some assistance for the families and was known to some of the leadership in Itireleng, who asked for his presence. Whilst I was in another room giving money to the families of the deceased, I heard some shouting. I then heard that Vineet Rama had come to the meeting on behalf of the CPF. There was tension between him and the Itireleng people, who asked for him to leave.”
Brigadier Terrence Naidoo of the District Tshwane SAPS, who was present at the meeting said, “I came here to learn and listen to the grievances of the community of Itireleng and see what we, as the police, can do about it. The Laudium SAPS has a new management team and are capable of handling any situation. If the community is not satisfied with the work done by the police, they should approach the Station Commander to address their grievances. As for the CPF, I can see that there are two groups, those who recognize the CPF and those who do not. I will advise the Station Commander to engage with the CPF and plan a meeting with the community in order to formally introduce the CPF to the community or disband the CPF and start afresh. I will not get involved in the political agenda, as everyone has the right to join any registered political party of their choice, to support it or even openly canvas for it. I do not know if CPF members are not allowed to join a political party or openly canvass for it.”
CPF Chairperson, Shaheen Osman, told the Laudium Sun, “The big question is, why now? We have been with the CPF for so long and have been working honestly and dedicating our time to make sure that the community lives in a safe environment, regardless of where they are from and who they are. This includes Itireleng, Laudium, and all other sections. The CPF is apolitical, as an institution. We do not take sides nor have allegiance to anyone. We are serving the community, without fear or favour. Residents of Laudium and Itireleng have been living peacefully, side by side, and we as the CPF pledge that we will not allow any divisions between the people. It is important to note that no member of the CPF is a candidate for the Councillor position nor any public position. The Provincial CPF constitution and the MEC’s office allows us to support any political party as an individual or in our personal capacity, as it is our Constitutional right to do so. Concerning the accusation that our members were brandishing guns to some community members of Itireleng, at the Sports Ground, this is totally baseless. These are ugly lies that have no backing or proof. We have been serving the community with dedication and within the prescribes of the law and we have never acted recklessly. This includes protecting the community during the recent July unrest. We have always been against any vigilantism in the community and we have always acted according to the rule of law. Why now with such accusations?”
