South African Police steal from car guards

I left Chef Pon’s Sawadee Thai restaurant in Rheede Street a few minutes ago, and saw the two car-guards who had been working on the street speaking to two uniformed South African Police in a police car. I wanted to tip them, but wasn’t sure what was going on with the police so stood back and waited. I saw the car guards reach into their pockets for money and hand it through the window of the police vehicle before the car drove off.

Chatting to the car guards revealed that exactly what I thought had just happened had really occurred – two congolese car guards had their tips stolen by uniformed South African police.

I asked them about their immigrant status, and they both had papers and were legally present in South Africa. Not that it would make the police behaviour any more acceptable had they been illegal immigrants, but there would at least be some logic to their demand for a pay-off.

I’m disgusted – when the police service, in the employ of the South African taxpayers, think that they can steal from vulnerable parts of society it’s no wonder that crime is such a problem in this country.
If that’s the best we have to offer it’s pretty pathetic.