Staff Reporter.
Operation Dudula leader Nhlanhla “Lux” Dlamini appeared at the Roodepoort magistrate’s court on Friday.
Dlamini is charged with housebreaking, theft and malicious damage to property after Dudula members descended on a suspected “drug house” in Soweto in March.
Dozens of supporters gathered a block from the court. Temporary fences, manned by droves of police officers, were erected around the court building.
Dlamini’s case was postponed to June 27. Afterwards, he addressed supporters and promised the movement would take action where the government failed.
“We were in a meeting yesterday with all the hostels … It’s going to be a Soweto programme, we are going to build informal settlements outside politicians’ houses,” Dlamini said.
Meanwhile Minister Bheki Cele has warned Soweto police officers to pull up their socks and fight crime or leave the service.
Cele was addressing an imbizo in Jabulani, Soweto, on Friday.
He also demanded a full report on problems plaguing the Moroka and Jabulani police stations in the township.
Cele received various complaints from residents serviced by the two stations.
Residents called on Cele and police management to urgently address their policing concerns.
They complained about drug abuse, rampant copper theft, extortion of small businesses and high incidents of murder, sexual violence and robberies.
Cele urged residents and the police to build relations to fight crime.
“At the same time, communities cannot be selective on who protects them. Police are deployed from all over the country to work at various police stations. There is no room for tribalism or rejection of police, purely because they don’t speak your preferred language or come from the local area,” he said.
The minister is expected to release the quarterly crime statistics next week.