Help police identify armed man who enquired about SAPS member's child at school
Police are offering a R50 000 reward for information that could help identify and locate an armed man who allegedly entered a Bellville learning institution with malicious intent and enquired about the child of a police officer.
Police spokesperson Warrant Officer Joseph Swartbooi said detectives are urgently seeking the public's assistance in identifying an unknown individual who may assist with an ongoing investigation.
"Detectives attached to the Western Cape Provincial Serious and Violent Crimes Unit are seeking the assistance of the public for information that will lead to the detention and conviction of an unidentified man who can assist Police in an investigation after an enquiry docket was opened," said Swartbooi.
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While inflammatory rhetoric should not be condoned, it must be understood within the broader political volatility and a society that registers its displeasure with President Ramaphosa and his ANC party, which continues to disrespect South Africans. A key question emerges: Is there a connection between these rumblings and Minister in the Presidency Khumbudzo Ntshavheni's recent reference to intelligence about a potential coup? Or is this mere coincidence? The timing evokes memories of July 2021, when the President warned of an insurrection, though no government buildings were stormed. That episode, shaped more by strategic narrative management than decisive institutional response, sets a precedent for today's rhetoric: instability wrapped in vague intelligence briefings, masking internal state dysfunction. Currently, Mchunu's leave and Cachalia's appointment are being challenged legally, as shown by a letter to the President from the MKP. 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In this sense, Cachalia's wording becomes a cautious bridge, acknowledging both the breach and the rot that necessitated it. His balanced rhetoric signals an attempt to reassert authority without escalating internal dissent. Still, Mkhwanazi, as a senior officer, would have been aware of the implications of bypassing his superiors. That he felt compelled to do so signals profound institutional dysfunction. His press conference functioned as both revelation and protest: exposing that the mechanisms meant to uphold accountability had themselves become sites of compromise. Cachalia, a former anti-apartheid activist and seasoned legal mind, likely understands this. His statement that he would 'ask' Mkhwanazi about the press conference, rather than threaten disciplinary action, casts him more as an investigator than an enforcer. He appears intent on navigating complexity, not bulldozing through it. His appointment, though partially justified by his public service credentials, is also rooted in loyalty and political trust. As a Ramaphosa confidant, or "house friend" in ANC parlance, Cachalia's selection serves multiple functions: reassurance, political insulation, and the projection of reform-minded oversight. His identity, outside the ANC's dominant patronage patterns, also helps Ramaphosa symbolically reframe the narrative of leadership. Cachalia disclosed that the President called him only an hour before the appointment was announced, beginning with an apology for not yet attending a NACAC meeting, a body Cachalia chairs. This suggests that his appointment may have been reactive or a calculated response to criticism of Ramaphosa's disengagement from anti-corruption structures. The fact that NACAC's 2023 report on policing, like the Prof. Sandy Africa report on the July 2021 unrest, has not been implemented, casts Cachalia's new role in a politically instrumental light. 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The scandal, in his framing, is not Mkhwanazi's boldness, but the political interference he was compelled to expose. The real question is not whether Mkhwanazi broke ranks, but whether Cachalia, if confirmed and at the helm, will confront the rot or simply manage its optics to protect Ramaphosa's interest. * Clyde N.S. Ramalaine is a theologian, political analyst, lifelong social and economic justice activist, published author, poet, and freelance writer. ** The views expressed do not necessarily reflect the views of IOL, Independent Media or The African.
