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Cape Town – The Social Justice Coalition (SJC) on Monday said that the police minister and several police commissioners were in contempt of court for failing to file responding papers in a court case it brought against them.
But in a written response to News24, national SA Police Services (SAPS) spokesperson Brigadier Sally de Beer said that police were attending to the necessary legal processes.
"The SAPS will refrain from commenting further, pending the finalisation of this matter in court," De Beer said.
The court matter focuses on challenging the allocation of police human resources in the Western Cape and nationally, and questions whether there is an equitable distribution of resources in black and poor neighbourhoods
In a statement on Monday, the SJC said that the Western Cape Equality Court order on September 5 had set out a timeline by which the main application would proceed.
"The court order required SAPS to file responding papers by November 30, 2016. To date they have failed to do so and remain in contempt of court," the statement said.
The SJC said that the police were intentionally delaying court proceedings.
"This discrimination continues to put not only the lives of those living in poor working-class neighbourhoods at risk, but also the lives of the police men and women deployed to protect them," it said.
Among the claims the SJC makes in the court case is that for every 100 000 people in Harare, Khayelitsha, there are three times more murders (over four years), but 14 times less police personnel than in Cape Town Central.
Additionally, SJC said over four years Nyanga had 16 times more murders per 100 000, but seven times less police personnel than Camps Bay.
The court case was launched by the SJC, Equal Education (EE) and the Nyanga Community Police Forum (CPF) and is made in terms of the Promotion of Equality and Prevention of Unfair Discrimination Act 4 of 2000.
