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On Tuesday night, KwaZulu-Natal police commissioner Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi set out in precise detail the case that the police, working with the National Prosecuting Authority, have compiled against the suspects in the murder of rapper Kiernan “AKA” Forbes.
For two years, South Africans had expressed despair that the police would ever be able to crack this prominent case, consistent with the low number of cases that they have been able to solve.
READ: Six suspects in AKA murder arrested, including the "mastermind, who coordinated and paid everyone"
When Mkhwanazi explained the meticulous process and connected the dots of how the detectives working on the case had sought to assemble the case without rushing to arrest the suspects, it all made sense.
With five suspects in custody in South Africa and two still to be extradited from Eswatini, the police have broken the back of this case. For that they deserve our applause.
The dedication and effort invested in the case provide a spark of hope in what the SA Police Service (SAPS) is capable of. However, it is not perfect until a conviction is secured against all the accused.
And, while the police have done well on this case, this will not quite restore confidence in their services unless they show the same dedication and effort in cases involving ordinary South Africans who are victims of crime. Crime has just been on the up in recent years and, with 85 citizens murdered every day, the SAPS has a lot of work on its hands.
