Deputy Chairperson, Ministers, Deputy Ministers, MECs, hon members, last month our country celebrated Youth Month. We did this in part to preserve the memory of the June 16, 1976 events, and also as an act of reaffirmation of our commitment to the struggle for the eradication of the socioeconomic legacy of apartheid. The youth of our country is our present and our future. It has played a fundamental role in moulding the present South Africa.
Twenty years ago, some of the Rivonia trialists, amongst them Walter Sisulu, Wilton Mkwayi, Elias Motswaledi and Raymond Mhlaba, were released. Their major sin was to fight to realise a South Africa which belongs to all who live in it, black and white.
The ANC government remains unshakable in its commitment to working together with the people of our land to improve the quality of life of all South Africans, fully appreciative of the stubborn legacy of colonialism and apartheid. The struggle to realise the kind of society enshrined in our Constitution and the Freedom Charter continues.
The fight against crime is part of an integrated approach in the effort to accomplish the goal of a better life for all. An improved quality of life also means better and improved conditions of safety and security of the people in their homes, communities, workplaces and places of entertainment.
To facilitate the process of realising the objectives of the revamp of the criminal justice system, various interventions will be made. The SAPS personnel will increase from 183 180 to 204 860 over the next three years.
As the capacity of the SAPS continues to improve across the whole spectrum, more focus will be placed on increasing the numbers of the visible policing officers, detectives and crime intelligence.
This year alone, the number of detectives will increase by more than 19%. More than 12 928 persons are undergoing detective-related training this year, and this programme is already under way. The importance of scientific evidence has become essential in the investigation of cases. Accordingly, we shall increase the capacity of the Forensic Science Laboratories, with additional funding of R150 million for the 2008-09 period and a further R50 million per year for the 2011-12 financial year.
An implementation plan for the full utilisation of the DNA Automated Fingerprint Identification System, AFIS, facial and iris recognition will be developed by 31 October 2009. In policing, intelligence should act as a nerve centre. Intelligence has a crucial role to play in all aspects of policing.
The need to revitalise the intelligence component of the SAPS and the integration of intelligence into all aspects of policing is a priority. In order to improve our capacity to provide technical support for investigations and crime prevention operations, we are going to increase police intelligence personnel as well as the associated operational expenditures.
The scourge of serious and violent crime remains one of the major concerns of government and all the people of our land. The kind of violence that frequently accompanies business and house robberies, as well as car hijackings, can only be committed by people who have lost all sense of their humanity. We are not going to allow criminals to prevent us from fulfilling our historical goal of improving the equality of life of all citizens.
Part of the effort in launching the challenge in this regard is going to be about bringing stability to the Crime Intelligence Division, through appointing a permanent head for this division this month. There are over 1 000 vacant posts in this division. This situation cannot be allowed to continue. Therefore, we shall work to ensure that these posts are filled as a matter of urgency. We shall also prioritise training programmes.
Furthermore, we are going to deepen the partnership with communities. Currently, out of the 1 116 police stations, 95% of these have community policing forums. This kind of progress is commendable. We must express our gratitude to community patrollers and the youth who have committed themselves to the service of our country. This is one area where we expect the implementation of a national youth service as a living example that the youth of today are not only interested in crass materialism.
Furthermore, to strengthen the fight against serious and violent crimes, we are going to table some legislative interventions. In particular, we are proposing some amendments to section 49 of the Criminal Procedure Act. We must hasten to say that trigger-happy members must not think that this is a licence to kill. It is a measure aimed specifically at dealing with serious violent crime and dangerous criminals.
In engaging serious and violent crime, we are in discussions with other cluster Ministries such as Defence and Military Veterans, State Security and others. The continued incidents of cash-in-transit heists remain a matter of vital concern to the government.
While the financial losses may have declined, the threat posed to the public, where heavily-armed criminals conduct heists in public spaces, requires interventions. The Ministry is currently looking at a number of different approaches to address this problem.
The Cash Risk Management Forum has been set up under the chairpersonship of the Reserve Bank. This crime forum includes a number of key business role-players who are directly involved in cash management. The department will need to do more and be active to engage with the forum and the CIT industries.
Street robberies constitute between 70% to 80% of crime figures. Many of these incidents are not reported as they take place in poor and underdeveloped areas. A greater part of youth involvement will focus on this area.
The President has highlighted the need to upscale the effort to deal with crimes perpetrated against women and children. We are going to ensure that current measures are vigorously implemented. In addition, our view is that we will review the decision to close specialised units. The closure of these units has led to significant debate regarding the need for certain types of crimes to be addressed by people with specialised knowledge and experience.
Furthermore, we are going to table amendments to section 26 of the Criminal Procedure Act. The Ministry of Justice and ours are seized with this matter.
The SAPS has developed the Corruption and Fraud Prevention Plan. The plan aims at educating employees and the public about the nature and consequences of corrupt practices. Processes aimed at the full establishment of the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation are progressing as planned. The unit will be fully functional on the fixed date of the 6th, this month. The establishment of this unit will enhance our capacity to prevent, combat and investigate national priority crimes.
Members will remember that the head of the Directorate of Priority Crime Investigation, DPCI, Commissioner A Dramat, was appointed last month and 51 members of the former Directorate of Special Operations, otherwise known as the Scorpions, have already joined the new unit. A further 227 will join the unit on 6 July 2009. Altogether, 1 700 members have undergone security clearance processes and are ready to ensure that the unit hits the ground running. The unit will have a presence in all provinces.
We would like to express our sincere gratitude to those members of the DSO who have agreed to join the DPCI. We thank them for again deciding to join hands with government and the people of our country in the fight against crime. [Applause.] Their presence in the newly formed DPCI will ensure continuity. They indeed acted as true patriots. We have full confidence in Commissioner Dramat and are certain that he will be more than equal to the task at hand.
Failure to meet performance targets raises the question of the relationship between current performance management processes and set targets and priorities. It is important that there is greater accountability for failure to meet targets. If a police station is identified to be in a high crime incidence area and resources are allocated to that station, it should follow that subsequent failure ought to result in action being taken against its management.
We are seeking legal advice on the matter of willy-nilly concluding four to five-year contracts with commissioners without giving due regard to performance. What is clear is that to address these challenges it cannot be business as usual. As the President stated, we need to see real operational energy in police work. We will, within a month, have a permanent national commissioner. The national commissioner will certainly have his work cut out to ensure accountability, co-ordination and consistent and effective communication.
The issue of rural safety is going to receive dedicated attention. There's a tendency for criminals to seek refuge in these areas when the situation gets too hot in urban areas and towns.
Bazosifica sikhona. [They'll find us there.]
The first permanent intake of reservists in June-July 2009 will involve 1 100 reservists spread across all the nine provinces. These reservists will have to undergo proper training before they are deployed. The reservists will also be required to meet the standard selection criteria.
The war against crime must be taken to a new level. The time for indifference, inefficiencies and lethargy is over, and everything we do must and will be performance driven. The time for rewarding excellence is now.
May I take this opportunity again to applaud the work done by the Local Organising Committee, LOC, particularly the work done by the Department of Sport and Recreation, Mr Nyauza. Thank you very much. [Applause.]
Ke a leboha Motlatsa Modulasetulo, ho Letona la Sepolesa le Motlatsa Letona le maloko a hlomphehang a Lekgotla la Diprofensi. Qeto eo e ileng ya nkuwa ke baholo ba rona Kliptown ha ba ne ba amohela Freedom Charter e le tokomane ya tataiso ho ANC, ya hore hara tse ding tsa ditseko, ho tla ba le kgotso, polokeho le bophelo bo botle, e ntse e nepahetse le kajeno ha o sheba maemo ao ba bang ba baahi ka hara naha ba iphumanang e le mahlatsipa a diketsahalo tsa ditlolo tsa molao.
Diboka tse fetileng tsa botjhaba tsa ANC ho tloha Mafikeng, Stellenbosch le Polokwane, di hatelletse bohlokwa ba hore ho fetolwe tsamaiso ya sepolesa, ho lekolwe botjha tsamaiso ya toka le tlhabollo ya batshwaruwa ka maikemisetso a hore ho lwantshwe ka matla bosenyi le ditlolo tsa molao.
Ditekanyetso tsena tsa lefapha di etsahala nakong e kgutshwane re sa tswa dikgethong mme twantsho ya bosenyi ke e nngwe ya dintlha tse neng di le sehlohlolong matsholong a dikgetho. Morwalo wa ho lwantsha bosenyi, ke wona o entseng hore batho ba utlwisise hore polokeho le tshireletso ya bona di lokile tlasa puso ya ANC.
Ho na le boikarabelo ba ho fana ka tshireletso ho baahi bohle ntle le kgethollo le ho sireletsa thepa ya naha ena; ho sireletsa ditokelo tsa botho ho ya kamoo Molaotheo o hlalosang ka teng karolong ya bobedi; ho netefatsa tshebedisanommoho pakeng tsa sepolesa le baahi bao se tlamehileng ho ba sireletsa; ho hlompha maikutlo a mahlatsipa a ditlolo tsa molao; ho utlwisisa ditlhoko tsa bona le hore ho be le mokgwa oo ho lekolwang tsamaiso ya sepolesa ka teng.
Dilemong tse hlano tse tlang, ho ya ka manifesto wa ANC, baahi ba tlameha ho nka karolo twantshong ya bosenyi le ho thea dikomiti tsa tshireletso moo ba dulang teng. Ho thaothwe le ho eketsa palo ya sepolesa, ho matlafatswe kwetliso ya sepolesa, ho matlafatswe lekala la diphuputso le bokgoni ba tshebetso ba lekala la mautlwela.
Ditekanyetso tsena di tlamehile ho dumellana le diqeto tsa seboka sa 52 sa ANC sa hore ho nyahlatswe mokgwa wa kgale wa molao le ditaelo sepoleseng ho ya mokgweng wa ho fa baahi karolo tshireletsong ya bona.
Leha ho ena le kgolo le phetoho ho matlafatseng ntwa kgahlanong le bosenyi, ho na le phetoho eo re ipiletsang ho lefapha ka yona hore le ke le lekole ditekanyetso tsa makala a lona, Bongodi le Lekala le Ikemetseng la Ditletlebo, ho ya ka mesebetsi ya ona e fapaneng. Hona ho kenyelletsa le tsela eo ditjhelete di ajwang ka teng diteisheneng tsa sepolesa, dikoloi kamoo di arolwang ka teng le batho ho ya ka bokgoni ba bona ba mosebetsi. Tjhelete e ngata, dikoloi tse ngata le batho ba nang le bokgoni ba bewa sebakeng se le seng, mme mona ekare diteishene tse ding ha di na bokgoni ba ho etsa mosebetsi.
Ho hlokahala ha makoloi nakong eo ho tlalehwang ditlolo tsa molao, e le hobane mapolesa a tjhaile ka dikoloi, di malapeng a bona, ho baka hore ho hlokahale dikoloi tse arabelang tlolong tsa molao. Boholo ba tjhelete ena bo tlamehile ho sebediswa ho hira mapolesa a mangata le hore a lefshwe meputso e metle, haholoholo hobane re ya re tobane le ho tshwara dipapadi tsa mohope wa lefatshe tsa 2010.
Ho a hlokeha hore maemong ana re thoholetse sepolesa sa rona ka mosebetsi o motle oo se o entseng dipapading tsa Confederations mme e se eka ba ka etsa ka matla hobane ka 2010 ho tla batho ba bangata le ho feta. Tshireletso e matla e tlilo hlokeha haholoholo madibohong a rona le boemafofaneng, haholoholo ba O R Tambo.
Ho tshwarwa ha basebeletsi ba South African Airways ka dithethefatsi mose ho pepesitse bohlaswa ba sepolesa sa rona ka hore batho ba tswe ka hare ho naha ba yo tshwarwa hole kwana. Hobaneng ba sa hlokomela hore sefofane seo se setjhwe hantle? Ha o bapisa tshireletso O.R. Tambo International le boemafofane ba dinaha tse ding ka ntle, mapolesa a rona a lokela ho phahamisa mokgwa wa ona wa ho setjha batho ba kenang ka hara naha hore ba se kene le dintho tse sa dumellehang, haholoholo dithethefatsi. Hona ho kenyelletsa le ho lekola boemafofane ka hara naha ho taolong ya bomasepala. Ho a hlokahala hore sepolesa se behe dibaka tseo leihlo.
Moralo wa lefapha o tlamehile hore o hlake hore baithaopi ba thusang sepolesa twantshong ya ditlolo tsa molao ba fuwa morokotso ha ho etsahetse jwang, mme ha ba lefshwe ha ho etsahala eng. Ha se dibakeng kaofela moo baahi ba fumantshwang tshehetso ke borakgwebo kgahlanong le tlolo tsa molao, moo ho bonahalang hore tshehetso e jwalo e teng, batho ba kgothalla ho nka karolo.
Kwetliso ya mapolesa ka tsela e nepahetseng e bohlokwa, haholo ha ba nka ditatamente hore ba se ke ba hlolwa ke dinyewe ha di fihla makgotleng a dinyewe. Kwetliso eo e tlamehile hore e kenyelletse boiphihlelo bo phethahetseng ba ho kganna. Dikoloi di dutse feela diteisheneng tsa sepolesa ka baka la ho kena dikotsing, mme hona ho etsa hore lefapha le lahlehelwe ke ditjhelete ka ho qoswa ke batho bao thepa ya bona e sentsweng ke mapolesa.
Ka baka la ho hloka thepa e tshwanetseng ya ho lwantsha boshodu, maphelo a mapolesa a kenngwa tsietsing, haholoholo hobane ho bakwa ke manyofonyofo a ditjhelete. O fumane bakgothotsi ba hlometse ho feta mapolesa. Re tshehetsa ka hohlehohle ho thehwa le ho kenyelletswa ha lekala la Diphuputso tsa Botlokotsebe bo Sehlohlolong taolong ya sepolesa, mme re se re ntse re ipiletsa hore le se ke la sebediswa hampe ho phethahatsa merero ya boradipolotiki. Ho seng jwalo le lona le tla qhalwa.
Re tshehetsa le mapolesa letsholong la bona la ho lwantsha tlolo tsa molao, le hore ha ho na phoso ka lepetjo la bona la "wa nya tsotsi". Kutlwisiso ya rona ke hore ha batho ba bolaya, ba beta bana, maqheku, bomme ba rona le dikgaitsedi tsa rona, ba re hlokisa kgotso le botsitso. Ha ho na phoso hore ba tsebe hore ba tla nyela. Re a di tshehetsa ditekanyetso tsena tsa lefapha. Ke a leboha. (Translation of Sesotho speech follows.)
[Mr T M H MOFOKENG: Thank you, Chairperson, Minister of Police and Deputy Minister, and hon members of the National Council of Provinces. The decision taken by our elders in Kliptown when they adopted the Freedom Charter as a guiding document of the ANC, mentioning, amongst other demands, that there will be peace, security and prosperity, is still relevant even today when you look at some of the citizens of our country who still find themselves becoming victims of crime.
Previous national conferences of the ANC, from Mafikeng, Stellenbosch and Polokwane, emphasised the importance of the transformation of the police administration, the review of the justice system and the rehabilitation of prisoners with the purpose of seriously fighting crime.
This Budget Vote happens shortly after we have come back from the elections. The fight against crime was one of the issues which were high on the election campaign, and the capacity by government to tackle crime was one of the reasons that people understood that their safety and security is guaranteed under the ANC government.
According to section 2 of the Constitution, the government has the responsibility to provide security to all its citizens without discrimination; to ensure the protection of state property; to protect human rights; to ensure co-operation between the police and the citizens which it is supposed to protect; and to respect the feelings of victims of crime and understand their needs. There should also be mechanisms through which the police can be monitored.
In the next five years, according to the ANC's manifesto, citizens are going to be required to take part in the fight against crime by forming neighbourhood watches in the areas where they live. There should be more recruitment in order to increase the number of police, intensification of police training, improvement of the Department of Criminal Investigations and the efficiency of the Department of Intelligence.
These Budget Votes must concur with the decisions of the 52nd conference of the ANC which took the decision that the old system of management and administration of the Police Service should be discarded in favour of allowing communities to participate in efforts aimed at their own safety.
Even though there is an increase and there seems to be some changes in the commitment to fight crime, there is one matter on which we would like to appeal to the department: it should review its budget for the departments of the Secretariat and of the Independent Complaints Directorate according to the different functions they perform. This includes the manner in which funds are allocated to different police stations; the manner in which the police vehicles are distributed, and certain individuals being appointed according to their abilities. Too much money and many vehicles have been concentrated in one area, and this situation creates the impression that other police stations are incapable of doing their job.
When crimes are reported, the shortage of vehicles because some members of the police go home in these cars, makes it difficult to respond to crime. A large portion of this budget must be used to hire more police and they should be paid well, particularly as we will be hosting the 2010 Soccer World Cup.
It is necessary at this point to commend our police for the sterling job they did during the Confederations Cup and we hope that they will do even better in 2010 because there will be more people coming to our country. Strong security will also be required along our borders as well as our airports, especially at O R Tambo International.
The arrest of employees of SA Airways in possession of drugs has displayed the carelessness of our police as those people were able to leave the country only to be arrested so far away. Why didn't the officials make sure that the aeroplane was searched thoroughly? When one compares security at O R Tambo International with that of other countries' airports, one finds that our police need to improve their method of searching people who come into the country so that they do not enter with illegal goods, especially drugs. This entails the monitoring of the airports in the country as well as airstrips by local municipalities. It is necessary for the police to monitor these areas.
The department's plan must be clear on the circumstances under which volunteers in the fight against crime are compensated or not compensated. It is not in all the areas where the communities are given financial assistance by business sectors in order to fight crime, and it is evident that where such support is available, people are encouraged to participate.
Proper training of police is essential, especially when it comes to taking down statements, so that they do not lose cases in the courts of law. The training should also involve excellent driving skills. There are many vehicles sitting idle at police stations as a result of being involved in accidents. This causes the department to lose a lot of money through being sued by individuals whose property was damaged by the police.
As a consequence of corruption, there is a lack of proper equipment to fight crime, therefore putting the lives of police officers in danger. You find that criminals are more armed than the police. We totally support the establishment and the incorporation of the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation under the control of the SA Police Service. We make an appeal that it should not be used to further the aims of politicians, otherwise it will also be dissolved.
We support the police in their crime-fighting campaign and see no problem with their slogan of "Wa nya tsotsi" [Shoot to kill]. Our understanding is that if people kill and rape children and the elderly, our mothers and sisters, then there is no problem for them to know that they will also be killed. We support these budget allocations of the department. Thank you.]
Chair, crime can be prevented before it occurs. The more trained police officers we have on the streets, the better we will be able to prevent crime and bring criminals to justice. This must go hand in hand with steps to improve these officers' performance. Police officers should be employed on the basis of merit and not on the basis of quotas or political alignment.
The taxpayer also often carries the burden of the failure of the Independent Complaints Directorate, ICD. There were over 6 000 complaints against members of the SA Police Service, SAPS, this past year. About 2 772 of these complaints were about criminal activities. This equals eight police members doing crime every day of the year.
For the past three years to date, R90 million has been spent on suspended SAPS members on full pay, covering 12 723 working days in total. It would be worth nothing if SAPS members would only be dismissed when they are given a prison sentence without the option of a fine.
The DA also said that the firearm legislation would be an extremely expensive failure - and I'm afraid this is what it has become. Legal gun owners fumed at the hoops they had to jump through to get a new, improved and expensive gun licence when they already owned one.
At the same time, one clue to how our criminals have become so heavily armed comes from the information that the police somehow lost 2 507 weapons last year. Added to municipal losses, this means that 3 767 weapons are now in the hands of criminals. In fact, over 14 000 weapons have been lost or stolen from police stations since 2001. So it makes no sense that the department would choose to turn and focus on legal gun owners.
It is disappointing that President Zuma failed to announce the reconstitution of the Family Violence, Child Protection and Sexual Offences units in the state of the nation address. It was the previous police commissioner, Jackie Selebi, who decided to close down all specialised units such as the Family Violence, Child Protection and Sexual Offences units and all the other units which had been crafted into lean, delivering units equal to the best in this world.
Regrettably, the government appears intent on centralising all facets of government, including the police. This means that the need for specialised crime fighting units, which are so urgently required to deal with many of the most serious types of crimes, continues to be ignored. We, as the DA, welcome the Minister's consideration to reopen these specialised units. Minister, we will be monitoring this.
Today, another 52 people will be murdered in this beautiful country of ours. Fifty-two murders per day! This could happen to anyone of your friends, families or even us. Government has a target on reducing serious and violent crimes like rape by 7% to 10% every year, but only 50% of reported rapes lead to arrests, while only 17% of matters ever go to trial in Gauteng - the one province which we have data for. The conviction rate for rape hovers at 7%, dropping to as low as 4% in Gauteng. It is then not surprising that the police do not possess any real ability to prevent rape.
Evidence is emerging that some police stations may be manipulating their statistics to meet targets. In 2007, at least 50 rapes reported in the Paarl area were allegedly recorded as general inquiries and were left uninvestigated. Organisations serving rape complainants have corroborated this, saying that they too have been approached by complainants alleging that police officers have refused to accept their complaints.
The frightening part is that only one in nine women raped reports their attack to these police. It is clear that despite this impossible 7% target, there has not been a real reduction in rape. Instead, this target has unintentionally created perverse incentives which may render the trauma and suffering of rape complaints irrelevant in the face of performance targets, and could make those responsible for enforcing the rule of law complicit in the law's corruption. In the process, underreporting is further increased. The quality of engagement of police officers and prosecutors with complainants ought to be assessed.
President Zuma admitted failure by saying that the ANC now needs to establish an integrated, modernised, properly-resourced and well-managed criminal justice system. The Global Peace Index survey places South Africa at 123 out of 144 countries. Seven places down from our position last year. Clearly, the ongoing deterioration of the crime problem in South Africa warrants a decisive new approach.
As I conclude, every expert in the country will tell you that updated and accurate information on crime is an essential tool in fighting crime and creating real and localised responses. Covering up crime won't make crime go away, Mr Minister. The question is: Are we going to allow this to go on or are we prepared to take responsibility and take corrective measures to really serve the people of South Africa and give them what they deserve - freedom, with safety and security? I thank you, Chair. [Applause.]
Madam Chairperson, Minister, Deputy Minister of Police, fellow members of the executive councils, chairperson of the Select Committee on Justice and Constitutional Development, delegates of the NCOP, it is my honour and privilege to participate in the first policy debate for the Police following the fourth democratic elections of our country.
Two weeks ago, in the Limpopo legislature, we presented an outline of our plans for the 2009-10 financial year, as well as the broad programmes that we would be pursuing during this term of office. Our participation in this debate therefore would seek to highlight issues that we consider fundamental to the realisation of the programme.
It must be stated that the SAPS in Limpopo has recorded a major achievement in reducing crime, even though our police-population ratio is the highest in the country where one police officer serves 526 citizens.
We remain optimistic, Mr Minister, that as you will be recruiting police officials, you will be able to consider this plight that we are putting forward in this august House. We also believe that mobilising young people as volunteers in partnership with the police to fight crime will go a long way in addressing the human resource capacity that we are faced with in the Limpopo province.
We believe that, working in a rural province like ours, the challenges are insurmountable. The farming community needs visible policing. Our rural communities also see visible policing as one of the areas that can ward off crime and criminals. We also believe that if sector policing could be strengthened, it could be one of those policies that can advocate the impact of crime prevention in the rural areas.
Our integrated approach with the Department of Education, the Department of Sport and Recreation and the Department of Arts and Culture is starting to work as we deal with the challenges we are faced with in our schools. Our crime prevention strategy in our Safe Schools programme is starting to take shape.
The SAPS has indeed undergone a serious metamorphosis in the past 15 years in providing services to our communities. The observation that we have made as a province is that most specialised areas are still the preserve of a few. We urge the human resources unit in the Police Service to take this as a challenge. As they shall be dealing with issues of transformation, they should consider that as a province we believe that the specialised unit should be able to project that 97% of Africans work in the Police Service.
One of the areas that need intervention is that transformation in terms of deployment of Africans should be seen as a serious agenda to follow. Given the fact that the Public Service demands that there be gender parity in everything that we are doing, we should be able to see a lot of women police in management areas.
In the course of executing their everyday responsibilities, members of the SAPS are exposed to situations that create trauma and psychological pressure. Through our monitoring and evaluation we should be able to evaluate the impact and the extent to which the Police Service is providing counselling and spiritual services to the members who have been exposed to these challenges. At the same time, we are calling on our people also to provide moral and spiritual support to the members of the Police Service. We may have to criticise the police if we are not happy with the service they are providing, but equally as members of the communities we should compliment them where they have excelled in executing their tasks. As dictated by our manifesto, participation of communities will be key in what we shall be doing in this term of office. Our community policing forums will be strengthened; communities' safety forums, street committees and village committees will be formed. We believe that crime prevention is not only a police responsibility, but our responsibility too.
We owe it to the people of the Republic who have yearned for a safe and secure country. We believe that the ideal of the Freedom Charter will not be a pipe dream.
Over the past 15 years we have been working towards building South Africa into a land of peace and harmony, a land that is full of opportunities. We have built a stable and growing economy. We have created the possibility of releasing more and more resources for social and economic services, while building a modern and competitive economy. We are ready as a province to mobilise our people to participate fully in the legislative processes. This, we believe, is capacity-building in the making and skills development in action.
Working together with this House we believe that we will continue to reflect the challenges that our communities are facing. Working together with this House we believe that as legislation will be developed, we will be taking them to our communities.
We wish to congratulate the police for their sterling work during the Confederations Cup. We believe that in 2010 the police shall have grown from strength to strength and would be able to do their work better as they will be facing the 2010 World Cup.
As Limpopo province, we shall be hosting the Vodacom Challenge in July and we believe that this will be one of those cups that will be able to show that, yes, indeed, the men and women in blue are able to do what they can do best.
Indeed, we must be made wiser by the recollection of our past, but our responsibilities towards the future are the things that we must always dwell on through and through. Working together we shall be able to prevent crime. I thank you. [Applause.]
Chairperson, Minister and Deputy Minister, hon Chief Whip and members of the NCOP, I'm honoured to be taking part in this debate. I've been instructed by the people's movement to once again air its views and ideas about the safety, security and peaceful living conditions that our forefathers envisaged when they drafted the Freedom Charter in 1955, in Kliptown, which the late President of the ANC, Oliver Tambo, referred to as the "people's document".
Indeed, this document has proved over decades, from generation to generation, that it is embracing the interests of South Africans across colour lines, hence South Africa belongs to all who live in it. [Applause.]
The budgeting that has been reflected by the department should be seen as a political and financial instrument that the ANC government uses. This is to ensure that its policy programmes are operationalised through the allocation of financial resources.
Accelerating transformation in the SAPS is the policy decision as expressed by the resolution of the ANC at the Stellenbosch National Conference. This budget must relate to the objectives of the policy decision because they seek to accelerate democratic and accountable police services to our people.
In line with the 2009 ANC manifesto, President Jacob Zuma's state of the nation address reiterated that government will establish a modernised, efficient and transformed criminal justice system to develop capacity for fighting and reducing crime. The President gives priority to the need to revamp the criminal justice system in its totality in order to combat crime and corruption in the next five years. Corruption has become one of the priority areas which needs to be exposed and rooted out.
The 2009 ANC manifesto seeks to eradicate practices that can lead to corruption by way of proposing regulatory measures and limitations of the involvement of politicians in tendering processes. The manifesto is in line with the moratorium on privatisation, outsourcing, and tendering, which was adopted in the Alliance Summit in 2007.
The context of the Independent Complaints Directorate, ICD, needs to be strengthened to ensure the efficiency of its oversight role over the SAPS, but this role should not be seen in a separatist competing manner. The SAPS and ICD must be seen as complementary entities in the fight against crime. This brings me to the advances made in transforming the Police Service over the last 15 years.
There are noticeable strides in ensuring the legitimacy of the police among our communities. The Ready to Govern and the RDP policy documents mapped out the future policing practices in South Africa and their perspectives, taking into account the specific history of the South African police. Above all, their premise is that crime prevention cannot be the task of the police alone. Part of the transformation agenda within the SAPS has to speak to representation involving categories such as gender, race, and disability.
The strategic objective of the ANC is to build a democratic nonracial, nonsexist and prosperous South Africa, free from all forms of discrimination and ensure that we have a caring society guided by the principles of ubuntu. The SAPS budget must ensure that women police swell the managerial positions within the organisations. Such women should ensure that they consciously sensitise their male counterparts. Judging by the SAPS reports, women in key positions are still fewer compared to their male counterparts. We managed to deracialise the police.
Our police are representative of the rainbow nation in line with nation- building. We just need to sustain this achievement to ensure that the principles of nonracialism are upheld through this budget.
It appears that the SAPS has made little progress to attract and retain police with disabilities. Probably we still have militaristic conceptions of the SAPS's roles. This budget needs to provide a broader understanding of the functions of the SAPS which have physical, intellectual and emotional levels.
Certain crimes against certain groups of people in society such as women and people with disabilities can be better addressed by the balanced law- enforcement agency. The ANC regards crimes against women and children as priority crimes. One of the key functions of the ICD is to ensure the implementation of the Domestic Violence Act of 1998. It is important to note that there are unresolved weaknesses in the implementation of the domestic violence and crimes against women and children legislation.
Some male members of the SAPS see crimes against women within their family settings as a domestic matter which does not warrant arrest. Hence, the ANC feels that it is very important to ensure that the participation of women is to sensitise and assist their male counterparts in the SAPS. This mind- set can probably be changed by the ongoing training on gender equality and deployment of female police in key areas and detective work.
This budget must ensure that new police stations are friendly to people with disabilities to enable them to report crimes at charge offices. Furthermore, people living with disabilities must be catered for in this budget. This is to ensure the building of appropriate infrastructure, support systems and other resources.
In conclusion, there's been a lot of progress and good things were mounted by our SAPS members in relation to the transformation agenda. Together we can do more to accelerate transformation in the SAPS through this budget. The ANC supports the Budget Vote. Thank you.
Hon Chairperson, Minister of Police, Comrade Nathi Mthethwa, the leadership of the police, commissioners present here, distinguished guests, hon Members of Parliament, our commitment to the realisation of the ideals of peace, security and comfort embodied in the Freedom Charter enjoins us to become champions in the fight against crime in all its manifestations.
The Constitution demands of us to create a nation state free from crime, with citizens living in harmony. We dare not fail in our duty to advance towards such a reality, and will dedicate every resource at our disposal to the war against crime. This is not only the responsibility of government, but a shared obligation which demands of every citizen to join in this collective effort to cleanse our communities of the cancer of crime. We invite every patriotic South African to join us in the new deal to uproot crime and reclaim our streets from criminals.
The prayer that says, "Our Father, who art in heaven ... give us our daily bread", addressed to President Zuma in Pretoria, must change and mean "participation of the people in the fight against crime".
In the coming months we will launch "Operation Washa Tsotsi" as a popular mobilisation programme, mobilising communities against crime in all its manifestations. "Washa Tsotsi" is a radical African expression and display of strength and zealousness against one's enemy. It is a weapon to instil fear and respect in one's strategic opponent. It is an expression of readiness of one's forces of war. It is an exhibition of strength. It is a war cry!
This operation will be community-led, based on the strategic isolation of criminals and those who harbour them. It is based on the popular participation of the police and the community at large in the fight against crime and criminality. This will make entertainment centres unbearable for criminals.
Details of this operation will be disseminated to provinces and we would like all provinces to implement this.
Comrade Oliver Tambo, a giant of our revolution, once said that in the life of a nation, there comes a time when a nation is faced with a difficult choice of whether to submit or fight.
We refuse to submit to criminals who continue to instil fear in the peace- loving citizens of South Africa, and we shall fight them in every corner, every street and every community where they hide. We are confident that we shall win this war. Amasi abekw'elangeni! [The jig is up!] In fact, attention should also be paid to any remaining apartheid network of dirty war and spies, some of which are an integral part of the criminal networks.
We pledge to our people that we will fight crime in all its facets and manifestations. The commitment made by the former Minister of Safety and Security, the hon Steve Tshwete, when he said - We will deal with criminals with the ferocity of a cornered bull and with the agility of a cat; we will deal with them the way a bulldog deals with a bone.
... continues to reverberate to this day. We recommit ourselves to that commitment, and we will show no mercy in throwing the book at criminals and those who harbour them. To this effect, the youth will be mobilised and organised into a mass-based community programme to assist in visible policing and safety and security that will include, but not be limited to, streets, taxi ranks, bus terminals and shopping centre patrols, including rail safety and mending, and be rewarded by stipends paid by government and exit opportunities at the end of service as part of the National Youth Service Programme.
We are aware that some of us here and elsewhere will not hesitate to vulgarise this revolutionary agenda. Vulgarising youth activism in the struggle against crime is mischievous and a counterrevolutionary gesture.
In essence, this posture is not in the interests of nation-building, but suffers from political and ideological malnutrition.
The programme of a youth reservist service is aimed at building among our youth a revolutionary social consciousness and leading them to be active participants in the struggle for full social cohesion and nation-building.
Gone are the days when young people were treated as a liability to society. The ANC democratic state will treat the youth as a dynamic asset of society and communities. We shall treat them as crystal catalysts for development and change - the bedrock of the nation!
The National Youth Service Programme is aimed at instilling the value of service and protection of the community and public property amongst our youth. We encourage provinces and station commanders to provide space and resources for youth development at the various police stations and metro and municipal venues. We shall also, together with Public Works and the National Youth Development Agency, design a programme for skills development.
Although there is some progress in the transformation of the SAPS, to make it more responsive to the constitutional imperatives, a lot still needs to be done. There is a dire need for an overhaul of the entire system if we want to see radical transformation in the Police Service. As Mao Tse-Tung once said:
We should check our complacency and constantly criticise our shortcomings, just as we should wash our faces or sweep the floor every day to remove the dirt and keep them clean.
A lot of sweeping of dirt will need to be done in the SAPS, especially at the management and administration levels.
We are similarly poised to deal with the deployment to and functionality of police stations. The way police members implement and observe Batho Pele principles at the police station level leaves a lot to be desired.
Despite these challenges, we have an obligation to improve the conditions of service for our men and women in blue and ensure that we remunerate them in a manner which boosts their morale and instils a sense of dignity. We have made this commitment in the past, and we reiterate that commitment. This should apply to strategic management, expansion of human resource capacity, research and development strategy. The era of renewal should be characterised by efficient, effective commitment to one's work and an ethical and professional manner of doing things, including the spending of public funds.
Our police officers place their lives in harm's way as they undertake their duty of confronting the scourge of crime. I honour these gallant fighters of our nation who have chosen a career to fight crime and strengthen the operational effectiveness and efficiency of the SAPS. In their line of duty, they face numerous challenges, serious injuries, even death.
Each death of a police officer is one death too many, and we say, enough is enough. The ferocity with which we will deal with the killing of police officers is the first step in many that seek to underpin the value we place on our officers as the protectors of our people and the foot soldiers in our war against crime and corruption.
We must take this opportunity to join the Minister to salute and thank all those men and women in blue who continue to make us proud by executing their duties with diligence, commitment and dedication, also during the successful Fifa Confederations Cup.
We refuse to submit to the unpatriotic media that continues to put our country in a bad light by publishing sensational stories about South Africa. One of these stories involved players of one of the teams that were competing in the Confederations Cup and an alleged incident of theft from their hotel rooms.
In conclusion, policing is a journey - an inner one and an outer one. There is no final destination, but rather twists and turns in a journey towards creating a safe and secure environment for all the people of South Africa.
The trust of our people lies literally in our hands. We will not betray this trust. We will not tolerate or hesitate to act against any corrupt police officer, and neither will we tolerate serving members who dishonour their uniform and the service through criminal activities perpetrated by those entrusted to fight crime.
My sincere appreciation and thanks to all the family members and relatives of police officers for allowing your loved ones and children to choose policing as their career, and for the support you have given them throughout their policing duties. Thank you very much. [Applause.]
Madam Deputy Chair, first of all I would like to thank you for this opportunity to speak. I have spoken here many times before, between 1994 and 1997, in the old Senate. It is good to be back, although in a slightly different format.
First of all, to the Minister, we haven't had the privilege and the opportunity to meet. I hope to meet with you and your Deputy Minister in the near future. I would like to address some of the remarks he has just made. But before I do so, I would just like to thank the Acting National Police Commissioner, Tim Williams, who stood in at a very difficult time in the SAPS's history. I think he has done an incredible job under the circumstances. Thank you very much, Commissioner.
I would also like to assure Commissioner Dramat, in his newly appointed position, that we are looking forward to working with him and all in the top structure of commissioners. Thank you very much for all the hard work you are doing for the Western Cape.
I listened to some of the remarks made by the Deputy Minister. I must admit that I was a little bit taken aback. A number of speakers spoke about the ANC manifesto and the Freedom Charter and things of that nature. Well, the DA also has a manifesto. [Laughter.] But the fact of the matter is that all of us in this House and in the other House, and every citizen in this country, are subservient to only one document, and that is the national Constitution of South Africa and its subservient laws. We will honour this document only, and we will honour and respect the rule of law.
I can assure you, Minister and your commissioners, that from the Western Cape, you have our fullest support in what you have stated. I've really enjoyed some of the things you've said with regard to the youth and crime intelligence. Here in the Western Cape, we are particularly concerned that the state of crime intelligence in the province is not up to standard.
I have an article here with regard to 1 000 people who mobilised against Somali shopkeepers just the other day. Our information was that the xenophobia situation was about to break out again here in the Western Cape, but according to the police's national crime intelligence, there was no threat whatsoever.
For us to be able to fulfil our role as government in the Western Cape, we have to be able to defend ourselves against any potential threat. I would ask that you please speak to whoever your head of police intelligence is in the country to speak to their counterpart in the Western Cape to ensure that the standard of crime intelligence in the province is up to standard and that the Premier, the Cabinet and the department responsible for community safety are fully briefed.
The Deputy Minister talked about mobilising the youth. I would like to tell the Deputy Minister that the only action that the ANC has taken in the last week was to revolutionise the people in Masiphumelele and in other places in the Western Cape. Owing to this, the police were called out to come and shoot them with stopper bullets because they tried to burn places down. So, with all due respect, mobilising people is one thing, but to do it within the rule of law is another thing altogether.
Over the past few years, we have seen a steady growth in the budget allocated to the SAPS, and we are grateful. I heard what the hon Minister had to say, but I cannot help thinking of all the people in the Western Cape whose lives have been changed forever by crime. It may seem like crime is an inescapable reality today - even more so in the Western Cape - but truthfully it is not. The DA and the Western Cape government, in particular, firmly believe that quite the opposite is true. An abnormally high crime rate should not be regarded as normal or inescapable. It is a reality, but not inescapable.
The Western Cape has some of the worst crime statistics in South Africa and, indeed, in the world. An international study named Cape Town second in line as the murder capital of the world for 2008, and, indeed, the police precincts recorded the highest number of murder incidents in Nyanga in 2007- 08.
Added to this, we have the highest rate of child murders, child rape and child abductions in the country - close to half the national figure. The latest figure shows that from April 2007 to March this year, 128 children and teenagers were murdered in the Western Cape. This is neither normal nor inescapable. It only requires political will, coupled with dedicated police and a criminal justice system, to turn this tide around.
In the past three months alone, I had the personal experience of people who were living in close proximity to me being murdered. These were not people under the influence of drugs or any other substance. They were people going about their normal daily activities - work. One was dropping off a person at work and the other two were murdered in their own workplaces.
As stated, crime and criminality is rife in the Western Cape and needs to be addressed as a matter of urgency. We have reached a critical crossroads in our country and, indeed, in our province. We must decide whether we will accept a country where a child is raped every three minutes and where one out of four men admits to having indulged in rape themselves.
Drugs and gangsterism in the Western Cape are having a devastating effect on communities in this province. It can be argued that it underpins a wide range of other criminal activities as a result. Drug-related crimes show a dramatic increase of 242% over the last eight-year period, but the continued availability of drugs in our communities is eroding the very core of our province.
Substance abuse, murder and crime in general are serious disincentives to capital and skills and they directly ruin the lives of a growing number of our citizens. We must work effectively within the law against criminals who are adept at covering their tracks by bribing the police and pretending to assist communities.
I believe that there must be a dramatic improvement in our relationship with the Department of Justice. In this regard, I would ask that we work a lot closer with Justice. For instance, in every police station I go to, I find police officers stamping oaths and doing affidavits and things of that nature - taking up their valuable time and keeping the uniform presence off the streets and in the charge office rather. I would suggest that we make use of justices of the peace to do that sort of work and liaise with the Department of Justice to ensure that justices of the peace are put to gainful employment in police stations so that police officers can go back to the streets where they need to be.
Similarly, we need to know that the police's crime intelligence which I have alluded to is on top of its game. It gives the provincial government the opportunity to govern effectively by having intelligence timeously. It will be unfair to place all responsibility for safety and crime prevention on the police. The truth is that the department of community safety in the Western Cape plays an enormous role in safeguarding our communities.
Our mandate is not to fight crime, but to oversee the activities of the police as described in section 206 of the Constitution. The performance monitoring of the SAPS will be formalised by the institutionalisation of regular meetings with the SAPS management which was recently instituted ... [Interjections.] Thank you very much, Madam Chair. [Time expired.] [Applause.]
UMntwana M M M ZULU: Sihlalo, mhlonishwa Ngqongqoshe uNyambose, iPhini lakho, izikhulu zamaphoyisa oKhomishana bonke, oSomaqhuzu, abahlonishwa Amalunga ale Ndlu ahloniphekile. Ngqongqoshe, ngithi namhlanje ngikufisela inhlanhla ukuthi usebenze kahle ku 2010 ukuze izwe lakithi lingangeni ehlazweni, Nyambose. Nina njengamaqhawe-ke namaqhawekazi aleli lizwe ngoba nakhulisa iLembe, kuzofuneka ukuthi lo msebenzi uwuthwale ukuze singangeni ehlazweni ngoba ihlazo liyinto embi kwelakithi.
Mhlonishwa, Ngqongqoshe, okunye engingakucela kuwe njengoNgqongqoshe walawa maphoyisa ukuthi kubekhona indlela yokuthi kubekhona ukuqeqeshwa ekuphathweni kwabantu uma befika eziteshini zamphoyisa bezobika imikhuba ebehlelayo ezweni lonke. Mhlonishwa Ngqongqoshe, ngiphinde ngingene kancane kulokhu, ngithi kungephulile kancane ukuthi iPhini likaNgqongqoshe lithi lokhu okubizwa ngama-Street Committees kuzothiwa ama-reservists. Ama- reservists noma abantu abangabasizi bamaphoyisa - yinto esemthethweni ukuthi laba bantu baqeqeshwe ngoba bengicabanga ukuthi mhlawumbe nikhuluma le ndaba ngoba nifuna ukuvula isikole soqonda abazobe behamba beshaya abantu ngezagila ebusuku. Kodwa uma kuzoba nokuqeqeshwa, Nyambose, ngizwa nginokukwethemba ngoba njengomuntu owake welusa izinkomo, uyazi ukuthi kuyaye kwenziwe njani uma kukhona izinto ezithile ezenzekayo.
Ngiyazi ukuthi ezikhathini ezingaphambili imisebenzi yamaphoyisa kwesinye isikhathi yayiye ingabi mihle yoniwa yithina njengabantu, ngoba isidalwa esingumuntu siyohlala sibuthakathaka njalo ngoba sihlala siba nezinhloso zaso emsebenzini esiwenzayo. Kodwa-ke angisho ukuthi wonke amaphoyisa asezweni lakithi ngcolile - awangcolile neze kodwa kukhona okuthile.
Bese ngithi ku-Detective Services, mhlonishwa Ngqongqoshe, kukhona amacala ayaye avulwe aphinde achithwe ezinkantolo ngenxa yokuthi abaseshi basuke bengazange bacoshe konke okuphathelene nalawo macala, bese inkantolo ize ingcine isiwachithile. Nalapho ngiyafisa Ngqongqoshe, ukuthi kwisabelomali sakho salonyaka wezimali kube nokuqeqeshwa ukuthi baqeqeshwe kahle laba bantu ukuze bakwazi ukubhekana nezigilamkhuba. Bese ngithi-ke mina, sengethule ikepisi lezombusazwe noma ukuphikisana - ngithi Ngqongqoshe mhlonishwa, ngiyaye ngiphatheke kabi noma ngiphatheka kabi ngezigilamkhuba zezepolitiki - osekwenzeke laphaya eMdlovana. UMdlovana i-Greytown, isenhliziyweni yami ngoba yilapho kwagwetshwa khona ubabamkhulu egwetshwa intambo ngisho i-life sentence waze wayogugela ejele. Leyo ndawo kufanele niyibheke nisebenzane nayo ukuze izigilamkhuba ziboshwe ngendlela efanelekile.
Sengiphetha, Ngqongqoshe - ngiyaxolisa Sihlalo. Sengiphetha, Ngqongqoshe, ngicela ukuthi kungenwe nguwena lokhu, ngalesi sizathu esisodwa nje Ngqongqoshe sokuthi siyaye sibone sengathi umsebenzi wamaphoyisa, uthathwa abanye bo-MEC bakho. Akufanele lokho ngoba sinoKhomishana bamaphoyisa kanti nina ningama-heads of department ngokwepolitiki, ngalokho-ke kufanele ninikeze ama-HOD kwezamaphoyisa ukuthi kube yiwona abhekana nabantu. [Ihlombe.] (Translation of isiZulu speech follows.)
[Prince M M M ZULU: Chairperson, hon Minister Mthethwa, your Deputy, the authorities of the Police Service who are commissioners, commissioned officers and all the hon members of this House. Minister, I would like to wish you well in doing your work in 2010 so that the country does not get bad publicity, Nyambose. You, the Mthethwa clan, are the heroes and heroines of this country because you brought up King Shaka; therefore, you should take upon yourself the responsibility of the Police Service so that the country does not receive bad publicity, because it is a very bad thing where I come from.
Hon Minister, another thing that I want to request from you as the Minister of Police is that the police throughout the country must be trained on how to treat the members of the public when they come to report incidents. Hon Minister, I want to briefly comment on what your deputy said, who referred to the changing of street committee members into reservists. The reservists or the police assistants by law should be trained. The impression I got when you mentioned this was that you were looking at opening an academy for security guards who are going to assault people with knobkerries at night. If they are going to be trained, I am putting my trust in you as a former herd-boy because you know how things are dealt with there.
I know that the work of the police was not good previously because of people like us, because a human being will always be weak because he always has other intentions in the work that he does. I am by no means saying that all the police in our country are corrupt, but there are some corrupt elements.
Hon Minister, some cases are struck off the roll because the detectives have not done their job regarding those cases. Minister, in your budget allocation for this year, I wish it could cater for the training of these people in order for them to be able to deal with the criminals.
I will now take off my political cap. The matter regarding the political crime hurts me a great deal, especially regarding what happened in Mdlovana location. Mdlovana location is in Greytown, which holds a special place in my heart because that is where my great-grandfather was executed. By this I mean that he was given a life sentence and he ended up getting sick in jail. You must look at that prison so that the criminals can be handled in a proper manner.
Minister, in closing, I would like to apologise Chairperson. Minister, I am directing this one to you because we have observed that the work of the Police Service is being taken care of by your MECs. That should not be the case because we have the commissioners of police, and not heads of department who are politically deployed people. You must delegate the heads of department to be the ones dealing with the people. [Applause.]]
Ndiyabulela kakhulu sekela-sihlalo, Mphathiswa waMapolisa, Nyambose, nesekela lakho uMpondomise, nazo zonke izidwangube nezidwangubekazi ezilapha, kunye nabaxwayi bemixhaka bezwe lakowethu, amapolisa, siyanibulisa. (Translation of isiXhosa paragraph follows.)
[Mr H YAWA (North West): Thank you very much, Deputy Chairperson. Minister of Police, Nyambose and Mpondomise your deputy, all the dignitaries who are present here and high ranking officials of our country, the police, I greet you.]
Deputy Chairperson, in supporting Budget Vote No 22, I wish to stress at the outset that the days of moaning, ivory towers and armchair criticism about the high levels of crime instead of being actively involved in the fight against crime are over. The mandate that our people bestowed on the ANC on 22 April 2009 was for us to pursue their aspiration for security and comfort as envisaged by our revolutionary compass - the Freedom Charter.
The endorsement of our call "Working together we can do better", through the ballot by an overwhelming majority of our people, supported the notion of an active, and not a passive citizenry. We are encouraged by the patriotism and selfless dedication of over 5 000 of our youth participating in our volunteer programme against crime as reservists. The enthusiasm of our youth, street committees and community policing forums testify that our people are yearning for effective, accountable and democratic policing.
It is in pursuit of this objective that we targeted seven municipalities in North West for participation in our Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design Strategy pilot project that was launched in partnership with our community policing forums in the past financial year. This initiative was part of our Letsema Campaign for the February Safety Month to eliminate crime hotspots by cutting overgrown vegetation along footpaths, demolishing disused houses used as hideouts to conduct criminal activities and installing high mast lights.
We intend to expand this programme to all our municipalities for participation because our municipalities need to shed the notion that crime prevention is not their core business. They are critical partners who should be at the forefront of mobilising support within communities in order to intensify the fight against crime and its causes.
As the leading agency in the Provincial Joint Operational and Intelligence Structure, supported by other government departments and stakeholders serving on the structure, we proudly demonstrated zero tolerance to criminal activities with the view to reducing the level of crime in and around the host city of Rustenburg during the Fifa Confederations Cup games. Our crime prevention and traffic law-enforcement operations were a resounding success with no major crime incidents reported during the games.
As a result of the support that we received from youth and community policing forums in the Rustenburg area cluster, 216 people were arrested for various crimes, and various suspected stolen property, vehicles, illegal drugs, precious stones, firearms and ammunition were recovered. One hundred and two people were also issued with traffic fines for violation of road traffic regulations, and undocumented foreigners were arrested.
We intend sustaining the onslaught against violent crime such as house robberies, business robberies and vehicle and truck hijacking throughout the province until and beyond 2010. We are strengthening our partnership with the provincial chapter of Business Against Crime in North West as they have embraced President Zuma's clarion call to work together with government and our communities to advance the fight against the scourge of crime and its causes.
The Automatic Numberplate Recognition technology that the organisation had deployed during the Fifa Confederations Cup in support of our crime prevention and traffic law enforcement operations has assisted us in achieving resounding success. We value their partnership and realisation that fighting crime is not just a responsibility of the police, but the responsibility of all citizens, our youth, our churches and faith-based organisations, our traditional leaders, farmers and community-based organisations, the nongovernmental sector, stakeholders and all sectors of our communities.
In line with our Safe Schools Programme, we have stepped up our collaborative efforts with the Department of Education and our respective school governing bodies for implementation of the Adopt-a-Cop, Little Commissioner and Operation Naughty Boy strategies to reclaim our schools from the drug dealers who seek to destroy our valued future leaders. The partnership is to be strengthened to ensure that there is no hole big enough for drug dealers to hide in as we intensify our collaborative efforts to uproot them from our schools, our streets and our communities.
As part of our oversight, we will continue with our unannounced visits to police stations in order to check service delivery, particularly at night, and deal with challenges that are facing our community policing forums.
Working together we can do more to ensure that our people enjoy the freedom guaranteed by our Constitution for the peaceful and safe neighbourhoods that they deserve.
Sekela-Sihlalo, nam mandaleke umsundulo kwintetho ethethwe khona apha kwanamazwi kaSekela-Mphathiswa noMphathiswa wethu, athi kulo nyaka kufanele sibe ngathi siyaliqinisa iqondo lokulwa izigebenga phakathi kwabantu bakowethu, kwaye sithi wambu amapolisa akowethu ngemisebenzi athe ayenza ngeli lixa besibambe imidlalo yendebe yeentshatsheli zamazwekazi kweli lizwe.
Sifuna ukuthi kubo umgangatho mawungehli, madoda neentokazi zakowethu; mawunyukele phezulu ukwenzel' ukuba izigebenga ziphume kwilizwe lakowethu, zingabi nandawo.
Siyavumelana nawe, Mpondomise, kodwa ngenxa yokuba ndilikholwa andizi kulibiza elinye igama: Yenzeka into kuwe tsotsi. Liza kutshon' emini, ubaleke ungekakhalelwa yingqangqolo. (Translation of isiXhosa paragraphs follows.)
[Deputy Chairperson, let me also add to the speech that was delivered here and to our Deputy Minister's words that this year we must intensify the fight against criminals in our communities and to honour our police officers for their good work during the Fifa Confederations Cup. We urge them to upgrade their good working standards even more in order to kick criminals out of our country and leave them with no place to hide.
We agree with you, Mpondomise, but I will not mention the other word because I am a Christian: Something will happen to you, tsotsi. You will be in deep trouble and have to escape unceremoniously.]
Chairperson, Minister, Deputy Minister, MECs and hon members, there is no doubt that the Justice, Crime Prevention and Security cluster is faced with mounting challenges in the fight against crime.
Over the past few years the intelligence and crime-fighting agencies have often spent more time fighting against each other than fulfilling their mandate to create a secure society for our people.
We would like to appeal to government and the department to ensure that this does not happen again. We would also like to remind the department that fighting crime must involve a holistic approach, with a huge emphasis on stamping out the root causes of crime.
Die Polisie moet weer ons trots wees. Daar moet weer dissipline in die SA Polisiediens wees. [Our police force should make us proud again. Discipline should once again prevail in the SA Police Service.]
The ID's vision involves implementing the kind of solutions that promote the idea of collective action for collective security. Our social democratic adherence to the principle of people-centred development means that partnerships with communities and community policing forums, CPFs, should receive special attention. We must provide CPFs with resources and equipment and encourage police to work more closely with them.
The costs of alcohol abuse and its links to criminal activities are not properly accounted for in South Africa. In 2006, for instance, 47% of homicide victims were drunk at the time of death. We must therefore effectively enforce the laws on underage drinking, while liquor licenses should be more strictly controlled and restricted to a certain number within each community.
Forensic laboratories should be given proper resources and more detectives should be hired to ensure the increase in conviction rates. We welcome the fact that the Minister has already answered that one.
Besides this, we must give far more attention to the reintegration of offenders into society and the reforming of prison systems, but today I would like to say to the hon Minister and hon Deputy Minister to look at police stations throughout this country. The condition that some are in is not good. There are police stations, for instance, in my constituency in the Kalahari and Andriesvale, to which you can go at 21:05 in the evening and stand there waiting until 00:25 without ever seeing a policeman. And the doors are open!
In Andriesvale kan jy maar gaan kyk. Dit het al meer as tien keer gebeur - dis in my kiesafdeling, ek werk daar - dis die werklikheid. En ons mense moet die waarheid in die o begin staar. Die werklikheid is dat baie polisiebeamptes ... [Tyd verstreke.] [Applous.] (Translation of Afrikaans paragraph follows.)
[You can just go and see what is happening in Andriesvale. It has happened more than ten times - it's my constituency, I work there - it's a reality. And our people should start facing the truth. The reality is that many police officers ... [Time expired.][Applause.]]
Deputy Chairperson, Minister of Police, Deputy Minister, members of the House, ladies and gentlemen, I want to warn the ANC about proclaiming that they will rule until the world ends. You are insulting God and you will drop in 2014. In 2014 you are going down. [Interjections.] In 2014 you are going down!
Order!
I appreciate the speech by the Deputy Minister and the Minister. You are even commended on it, but I would like to differ slightly from the professionalism by naming the Operation Washa Wanya. That is not professional. Please revisit that. [Interjections.]
The interference of the politician in the investigations and into police activities is very, very bad. When something happens, the MEC or politician must stay away from the scene of the crime, because it is where you destroy evidence and you are going to be blamed for the fact that you are not performing. Do not do that! Visit the victims in hospitals or at their homes.
Minister, I am glad that you've mentioned other programmes, but you forgot the ICD, Independent Complaints Directorate, and the National Secretariat for Safety and Security. The ICD investigates crime over the whole country, but there is not enough staff. The Police Service currently has 183 000 employees and the ICD cannot investigate all the misconduct of the police. Please revisit that.
The filling of the intelligence posts is also long overdue. I'm happy that you mentioned that you are going to make appointments this month. It was a worrying factor.
Regarding the issue of the new unit replacing the former Scorpions, I wonder if those 51 members who were appointed - and the remaining 227 who are going to be incorporated - were appointed according to the professional requirements or according to the ANC's requirements. The ANC requirements involve the sabotaging of railway lines, being in exile on Robben Island, etc. That kind of thing is out! You must appoint the person who knows the job. [Interjections.]
I would also like to remind the Minister to check the senior management service personnel to determine whether all those who were appointed have the necessary qualifications.
Regarding the aspect of the DNA, you say it takes only 35 days, but that is wrong! I investigated the case of KwaZulu-Natal; it takes longer! Please revisit that.
On the point of police killings ... [Time expired.]
Deputy Chairperson, Minister and Deputy Minister of Police, leadership of the police and hon members, allow me to say that the task of building partnerships against crime is fundamentally in line with the strategic goal of the ANC to combat crime.
This strategic goal is expressed candidly in the Ready to Govern and the RDP policy documents of the liberation movement. It maps out the police practices for the future democratic South Africa right after the unbanning. This debate must be located within the vision to transform the police and to ensure community participation against crime. It places community at the centre of the policing regime.
The relevance of community policing emanates from the fact that effective crime prevention requires co-operation between the police and the community, because crime cannot be prevented by the police alone. This reasoning of the ANC recognises that communities are responsible mostly for the successes of criminal prosecutions. Crime prevention and combating should be seen as a joint project between the police and the community. It is community members who act as witnesses, lay charges, make statements, testify in courts and assist the police in the execution of their functions and duties.
Over the past 15 years, the ANC-led government has made great progress in building partnership momentum against crime. The 2009 ANC manifesto has identified crime problems and corruption as priorities in the next five years. It has a specific focus on certain categories of crime, such as violent crime and organised crime. This budget must capacitate the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation in order to combat organised crime and corruption. President Zuma's state of the nation address reaffirms this vision.
In this regard, community policing needs to be strengthened as suggested by the ANC manifesto. According to the manifesto, in the next five years, government should, among other things, put more emphasis on mobilising communities to participate in combating crime through establishing street committees, community courts and community police forums, CPFs; visible policing to recruit more police; mobilising youth against crime; strengthening the Washa Tsotsi campaign and other anticrime structures.
Comrade Minister, we want to indicate that as the ANC and also as NEC members of the South African Civic Association Movement, we have taken a decision in the NEC of Sanco over the weekend that we will support the call the Minister has made and make sure that we relaunch Operation Pimpa as the civic movement. [Applause.]
Minister, firstly, we want you also to clarify the issue that has been raised when we were briefed as a committee about moving the CPFs to local government structures. Secondly, if you look at the budget it does not reflect the capacitation of CPFs. Does this department indicate that they are bringing in an unfunded mandate to local government structures and blame them for not delivering in future? We want the Minister to clarify that particular issue.
Thirdly, we would want the Minister to act urgently to deal with the issue around the unevenness of reservists, because they are treated unequally in different communities. The problem that we are faced with is that they are capacitated in affluent communities, but not capacitated in disadvantaged communities, and that has been a trend all along. We want the Minister to look at that particular situation and deal with the problems that affect those specific communities.
There is no doubt that the crime phenomenon remains a major problem affecting all communities, but mostly the impoverished communities with high levels of unemployment and poverty. Indeed, crime happens at all levels of the community. In this regard, perpetrators of crime tend to be young men, while victims mostly appear to be women and children. Effective approaches to crime must be premised on the fact that the phenomenon should be addressed in its causes.
There are many casual factors to crime. Crime should not be seen as a matter of law and order. While it is important to be tough on crime by way of promoting crime prevention through an effective criminal justice system, which typically involves a combination of vigorous policing and zero tolerance of criminals, equally the emphasis needs to be on the causes of crime and its violent nature. This is primarily to understand the concrete conditions of the specific society.
South Africa is still characterised by the terrible legacy of apartheid, involving violence, human rights abuses, racism and class and gender inequalities. As a consequence, it is difficult to combat crime through sectional approaches. In order to address the phenomenon, we need concerted holistic approaches that will be preventive and sustainable. In this regard, approaches to crime should be well-considered, effectively co- ordinated and comprehensive. This will help to promote approaches that are sustainable and measurable.
As indicated above, certain categories of crime appear to take some violent forms, particularly organised crime such as cash-in-transit robbery, car hijacking, car theft and contact crime such as murder, rape, assault, and so on. It is through multidisciplinary approaches that we can succeed in the struggle against crime in a manner that is preventative and measurable. Judging by the complexity of the problem, community involvement becomes central in the prevention of crime.
There is a need to strengthen community policing forums, village committees and neighbourhood watches with a view to promoting community involvement in order to accommodate the needs of victims, witnesses, activists, churches, businesses, NGOs, justice offices, parolees and the police. Perpetrators of violent contact crimes are known to their victims. Thank you. [Applause.]
Thanks, Chair. I would like to thank members who participated, wisely so, in this debate. There has been a thread running though this debate, and that is the issue relating to the Independent Complaints Directorate, ICD, and the secretariat. It is a genuine criticism. We did not touch on it. A very accepted criticism indeed, but members would know that the secretariat post has been advertised and due processes are taking place; firstly, with the aim of strengthening the secretariat itself and, secondly, with its difficulties that members know and have raised. The same goes with ICD. We need to look into the legislative capacity, as people have criticised that in the past.
I am intrigued by the hon member of the DA - not Wiley?
HON MEMBERS: Faber.
Yes, hon Faber. He lists a lot of grievances here. I nearly mistook this forum for the one that accepts memoranda from members of society. [Laughter.]
What he forgets to say, conveniently so, is that this police service he is bashing has been working very hard whilst he and others were enjoying life's pleasures. They were getting indigestion during the festive season while they were working throughout. I think, one day, if he finds a chance, he should say something positive.
We hosted the Indian Premier League, IPL, cricket together with the general elections in the country, and there were no problems because the police rose to the occasion, even when the prophets of doom predicted problems of security. He didn't mention that! It does not matter to him. [Applause.]
Just last week we concluded a very successful Confederations Cup. Doomsayers again were saying we were going to fail. We proved them wrong! [Applause.] But it doesn't matter. You know we are going to host the 2010 World Cup, hon Mageba, and we can say, even here and now, that the security forces led by the SAPS are ready to take up the challenge, but I also know that there are people who are going to be disappointed. Sorry for them, but we will succeed! And that will happen. [Interjections.]
You know, the uninformed cheap politicking, giving expression to the statement that recruitments in the police are by political affiliation, has to be dismissed. Police are recruiting in a professional way according to set guidelines. We have old police who have been in the system for a long time, like the hon member here. The commissioner, you know, was recruited not because of political affiliation. [Laughter.] It is dangerous statements like these which we need to refute, because they have no basis.
I find the issue of statistics interesting. In the other House yesterday a member of the DA just passed notes through. DA politicians have this obsession with statistics. Statistics are there on a daily basis. They are used by the police to plan operations, because that is what statistics are for. They are not for the DA; they are for the police, so I do not know what he is going to do with the statistics.
Honestly speaking, I do not think he has the capacity to understand them and to plan the fight against crime. [Interjections.] It really does not make sense. Absolutely!
He then says that the President failed to announce the Family Violence, Child Protection and Sexual Offences Unit and all these other things. Well, the President is not the Minister of Police. He is the President of the Republic of South Africa. [Applause.] The Minister of Police together with the Deputy has to say something on this. And if you were listening, we did and we pointed the way forward. I am not going to go back, but we will reproduce some copies. We will make sure that we get copies.
Regarding the issues members have raised about the detectives, we have pointed to that because members' observations are correct and the criminal justice review has pointed to that. As a result we had to speak about that and say what has been happening since April this year, and what is planned for the future. Indeed, it is a genuine criticism.
The hon Wiley talks about crime intelligence being weak in the Western Cape. He talks about the Western Cape being the worst. You see, the Western Cape for the past five years has been witnessing a decrease in crime statistics of 32%. For this year, the crime statistics are not out. Yet he comes here and says a lot of things, as if he is saying something serious and important when, in fact, he does not know.
He is supposed to come here and say, "I am ignorant about this", and ask. Here are the commissioners. Here is everybody who would offer that assistance with pleasure, without confusing things.
The issue of crime intelligence being weak needs to be explained. What does it mean if one says crime intelligence in the Western Cape is weak? There has to be issues which have to be raised.
Baba Mageba, njengoba sisho nje sizimisele ngo2010 kakhulu, njengale eminye imidlalo esiphuma kuyona. Nathi siyalisaba kakhulu ihlazo, sokwenza okusemandleni njengabantu ababhekelene nokuthula nokuphepha ezweni lakithi ukuthi kube njalo. Uyabona-ke Mageba, lena yamakomidi asekuhlaleni cha, hhayi nani ngeke savumelana. Baba ngoba into ebalulekile ngayo ukuthi njengohulumeni kungafani nelungu elihloniphekile isibonelo. uWiley ngiyabekisa, njengohulumeni sithi abaxexwe kukhulunywe nawonke, bagqugquzele umphakathi wonke ngezinhlaka ngokuhluka kwazo ukuthi ubambe iqhaza ekulweni le mpi nobugebengu.
Kodwa ngijabulile ukuthi awuyithathanga wayibeka la ibekwe khona umhlonishwa uWiley othi kunezingane eziyi-128 ezishonile lapha eNtshonalanga koloni. Uma ubazi ubezokwazi ukuthi uNgqongqoshe wakulesifunda kanye noNgqongqoshe Wamaphoyisa kanjalo noNgqongqoshe Wabesifazane naBakhubazekile bahlangene ngaloludaba bayalubuka loludaba olufana nalolu kodwa-ke lilonke siyabonga kakhulu malunga. (Translation of isiZulu paragraphs follows.)
[Hon Mageba, we have stated that we are ready for 2010, just like we were for the other games that we hosted. We are also afraid of bad publicity. As the people who are tasked to ensure that there is safety and security in our country, we will do everything in our power to achieve that. Mageba, when it comes to the issue of ward committees, I must say that I do not concur with you on that issue. The government does not share the same sentiments expressed by the hon member Wiley, if I can use that as an example. As government we say that they must be persuaded to encourage members of our diverse communities to participate in this fight against crime.
I must, however, state that I am glad that you did not take it as far as the hon Wiley did, who said that 128 children died in the Western Cape. If he knew about this matter, he would know that the MEC of this province, the Ministers of Police and of Women, Youth, Children and People with Disabilities are working together regarding this matter. Thank you all hon members.]
Thank you very much for your constructive criticism. Thank you. [Applause.]
Debate concluded.