WITH high crime levels and murder cases in the Free State, the DA says Mzansi is a failed state.
The party is now calling for Police Minister Bheki Cele's resignation.
DA provincial chairman Roy Jankielsohn referred to the murder of three men who were gunned down near the Ficksburg Port of Entry on Sunday, 15 April.
The victims were travelling from Daveyton, Ekurhuleni, to Lesotho in a silver Honda Civic Hatchback with a GP registration number when they were allegedly stopped by a group of unknown men who opened fire on them.
Jankielsohn described crime in the province as having reached high levels and said police were failing to tackle it.
"Government is supposed to protect its citizens from harm. When it fails to do so, it automatically fails and becomes a failed state. We've seen in the Free State, specifically, national government, as provincial and local municipalities failing to play their necessary oversite role to ensure citizens are protected," he said.
"We see other types of crimes that we didn't see previously, where people were gunned down on the streets. Zama zamas are posing a serious threat in Matjhabeng. High levels of stock theft and drugs crossing borders without security forces of our own. Stolen vehicle syndicates working on the borders.
"Minister Bheki Cele has failed the citizens of South Africa, and the best thing he can do is resign."
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According to Jankielsohn, the deadly attack at the Ficksburg border has exposed the incompetency of officers.
Police spokesman Warrant Officer Mmako Mophiring said the victims were ambushed through a hail of bullets by armed men as they were seated inside their vehicle.
"Three people were shot. One died instantly on the scene, others succumbed to injuries at local hospitals, and the third was admitted for further medical treatment. The fourth person is believed to have escaped. His whereabouts are still unknown at this stage.
"Police at the port of entry tried to do their utmost to help the victims, but unfortunately, the suspects couldn't be found after the injured person came to report the incident to the cops," he said.
Mophiring said cases of murder and one of attempted murder were registered at the Ficksburg Police Station.
Meanwhile, the kidnappings and abductions in Bloemfontein and surrounding areas have become a major concern.
