Chairperson, MECs present here, the Deputy Minister of Police, Ms Sotyu, chairperson of the Select Committee on Security and Constitutional Development, Mr Mofokeng, hon members of the NCOP, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen, 2011, as declared by the President of the Republic, His Excellency Jacob Zuma, on the occasion of the state of the nation address, is a year for job creation.
Section 205(3) of the Constitution of the Republic enjoins the SA Police Service to combat, prevent and investigate crime, to maintain public order, protect and secure the inhabitants of the Republic and their property, and to uphold and enforce the law.
The police are the institutional expression of the resolve by South Africans, as individuals and as a nation, to realise safety and security. The police are and always must be subject to the will of the people they serve. The challenge confronting all of us is to transform South Africa, to make of her a place of hope, security and human fulfilment.
We are emphasising the aspect of the Constitution deliberately because all our actions must be guided by the highest law of the land. From effecting an arrest to securing convictions, we premise our actions in the letter and spirit of the Constitution. We therefore approach these tasks with all the seriousness they require.
Co-operation with the Police Service, in the region and further afield, will be intensified, whilst border control will continually be tightened. In introducing these measures, we proceed from the premise that crime is a scourge that does not respect borders, with syndicates that have made the entire globe the theatre of their evil operations.
The eradication of women and child abuse is central to the fight against crime. This requires deliberate programmes of education and other measures to transform gender and family relations; the retraining of justice administrators and police; and the provision of the necessary resources to ensure safety and to restore the dignity of the victims.
In brief, our programme in this financial year, 2011-2012, consists of achieving better policing, a better-trained and efficient criminal justice system and the involvement of all in our society to fight against crime.
We ensured safe and secure local government elections in 2011. As the leadership of police, enjoined by many in society, we want to take this opportunity to commend our police officers for ensuring that the local government elections were conducted in a safe environment. We deployed approximately 75 000 officers who were supported by the SA National Defence Force, SANDF, the intelligence community and various government departments.
Our members safeguarded all polling stations, the transportation of ballot boxes, the counting process and performed general crime prevention duties. In the end, almost all in society, including the Independent Electoral Commission, IEC, commended our officers for a job well done. [Applause.]
Whilst we focused our energies on the elections, we also ensured that normal policing continued unabated in all communities, whether one looked at police visibility or operations at various key crime hot spots. The success of securing everyone's safety in these elections can be attributed to proper planning on our side, and importantly, the kind of support we received from all law-abiding citizens in our country. We are therefore confident that as we move forward, this working-together approach will be sustained.
We have seen successes from the Hawks, which were achieved in the period from 1 April 2010 to 31 March 2011. In tackling commercial crime, the Hawks arrested 8 294 people and secured 5 267 convictions. When it comes to organised crime, they further arrested 2 439 and secured 532 convictions from 1 April 2010 to 31 March 2011.
During the period under review the directorate profiled and pursued 50 of the most wanted suspects for armed robberies, automated teller machine, ATM, bombings, and cash-in-transit heists and bank robberies. They apprehended 49 suspects and only one is still at large. The tracing team is in hot pursuit of the last suspect.
Other notable successes relate to the intensifying of the war on corruption. The directorate has established an anticorruption unit that deals with corruption within the Justice, Crime Prevention and Security, JCPS, cluster.
An anticorruption task team was established. It is a collaboration between different departments that have one common goal: to deal with the specific mandate in terms of Output 5 of the government's delivery agreement. It has to investigate, prosecute and convict 100 people by 2014, and retain illicit assets worth R5 million per individual. This is a specific programme for those individuals who have proceeds of up to R5 million, which they received in an unbecoming manner.
The directorate, in conjunction with the Department of Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs, became involved in the probe of municipalities under the banner of Operation Clean Audit, and significant progress has been made.
A dedicated capacity was created in the provinces to investigate and combat corruption within local government. A total of 362 cases were received for investigation, as a result of which 144 public officials and 120 members of the public appeared in court. Out of the same number, the following convictions were achieved: 60 public officials and 29 members of the public. As you know, hon members, it takes two to tango and so it is the case here with corruption; there is a corruptor and a corruptee.
With regard to the Operation Duty Calls Festive Season, our police operations focused on contact and trio crimes, concentrating on aggravated robbery, including residential and business robberies, and car hijackings, in addition to the securing of shopping malls and combating ATM blasts. Border security was included in this focus, together with the social crime prevention operations, which dealt with the most vulnerable victims of crime.
There was a total of 321 013 arrests during the operation; 4 509 firearms were seized, including 1 697 magazines and 46 678 rounds of ammunition. Seizures included, inter alia, 3 638 vehicles, 11 648 kg of dagga and 17 682 mandrax tablets.
We have placed greater focus on addressing some of the challenges that faced this unit in the past, that is, the Forensic Science Laboratory unit. The overall backlog within the Forensic Science Laboratory declined significantly by 66% from 1 April 2010 to 31 March 2011.
We are happy to announce to the nation that at this point we do not have any backlogs in forensic DNA testing, and those matters that we have on record fit within the prescribed 35-days turnaround time. This success will go a long way in helping the police to reduce crime, but more importantly, to secure convictions.
In the main, whilst the issue of successful convictions lies with the courts, for our part as police, the kind of investigations we do, coupled with forensic analysis, will have an important impact.
The recent discovery of arms caches across the country were not random occurrences or pure coincidences. These successes were achieved through co- ordinated efforts. We plan properly. We execute those plans with precision and smartness. We are succeeding because we have the resolve and support of the communities.
These operations have all demonstrated that we have the capacity to make a significant impact on crime. We must now use that experience and the infrastructure as part of our general approach in the fight against crime. Now more than ever, we are working tirelessly to make life difficult for criminals in our midst.
In previous budget speeches we mentioned the need to strengthen civilian oversight of the police and the Independent Complaints Directorate, ICD. To address this, last year we introduced two separate pieces of legislation covering both the ICD and Civilian Secretariat for Police.
We are happy to say that both Bills have been passed by Parliament, and will now be enacted in the coming year. The fact that we have introduced these Bills before introducing other pieces of legislation, affirms that we are serious that this government and the Ministry do not desire - nor is there any likelihood - that this country will at any point move towards becoming a police state.
In changing the focus and the name of the ICD to the Independent Police Investigative Directorate, Ipid, we are sending a clear message that the new body will not focus only on processing complaints, but the emphasis is on developing strong investigative capacity.
We also seek to investigate substantial systemic defects in policing and general corruption. The Civilian Secretariat for Police Service Bill gives effect to the separation of powers and functions, and will ensure that we have a strong civilian oversight body that operates as a designated department, reporting directly to the Minister on all matters.
On the progress on a single Police Service, we also mentioned in our previous budget speech the need to address section 205 of the Constitution and the need for us to look at the imperatives and feasibility of establishing a single Police Service. Last year we tasked the Civilian Secretariat for Police with investigating the feasibility of this approach.
A draft document is now with my office and is under discussion. The results of these discussions will then be incorporated into the current processes to review the South African Police Service Act, Act 68 of 1995, and the White Paper on Safety and Security.
On the issue of the South African Police Service Act, Act 68 of 1995, this year we are going to ensure that that Bill is brought before Parliament, and this revision will be preceded by a review of the White Paper, as we have said. The White Paper was finalised in 1998, and since then there have been changes in the policing environment that need to be incorporated and reflected in our policy and approaches. The finalised review of the White Paper will then become the policy framework for the amendment and revision of the South African Police Service Act.
We will also be introducing a revised private security industry regulatory authority Bill in order to address weaknesses and gaps in our regulation of the private security industry.
Over the last 18 months we have seen a significant decline in the number of cash-in-transit robberies. As part of sustaining this decline, we have, together with other role-players, introduced preventative measures through information-sharing, particularly with the banking sector.
We have gone about strengthening relations between ourselves and the public. The partnership with the structures of the public, like the community police forums, CPFs, is going ahead because we are of the belief that it is through partnerships with these communities that we will win the war against crime. We have also introduced the rural safety strategy to ensure that people coming from these areas are indeed secure.
Skills development and the retention of skills remain a priority for this year, 2011-2012. Significant emphasis will be placed on detectives' training. And on this one we have made it a policy that when we recruit police officers, they all ought to have basic detective training, whether a person will finally end up in that unit or not.
We have also resuscitated the Family Violence Unit and other specialised units. We said last year that we would establish it, and we did that in March this year.
We also are involved in a process of rooting out corruption within the police ranks. Preventing, detecting and investigating corruption within the ranks will continue to be a major focus area for this financial year. Emphasis will be put on the implementation of the SAPS anticorruption strategy aimed at curbing corruption and punishing those members with evil intentions.
The implementation of the turnaround strategy around firearm control is continuing and we hope that with all the processes we have put in place we are going to succeed on this one.
This year, 2011, as said by the President of the Republic, is a year for job creation. The ANC-led government represents the hopes and aspirations of the majority of the people of our country. This government is the repository of the people's resolve to end violent crime, drug and substance abuse and women and child abuse - the embodiment of the people's devotion for equality and national reconciliation.
We must consolidate partnerships across society to strengthen social cohesion and ensure that our nation achieves the values of a caring society inspired by the traits of human solidarity which informed our struggle against colonialism and apartheid.
To us, the leadership of the police, we also want to emphasise that 2011 is the year of the good cop. Rise and shine in defence of your nation. This is our clarion call. I thank you. [Applause.]
Modulasetulo, Letona la Sepolesa, Mohlomphehi Nathi Mthethwa le Motlatsi wa Letona Mme Maggie Sotyu, ke tlotla e kgolo ho nna ho nka karolo dingagisanong tsena kamora dikgetho tsa makgotla a motse moo baholo ba bakgethi ba bontshitseng tshepo ho mokgatlo o moholo wa ANC.
Sepolesa sa Afrika Borwa se fuwe boikarabelo ba ho thibela le ho fuputsa ditlolo tsa molao ho etsa hore ho be le kgutso le ho sireletsa baahi ba Afrika Borwa mmoho le thepa ya bona. Ditekanyetso tsa monongwaha di ekeditswe ka 3,5% mme hona ke lebaka la hore Palamente e tlamehile ho lekola ka leihlo le ntjhotjho hore na sepolesa se kgona ho fana ka tshireletso e nepahetseng kgahlano le setjhaba se eketsehang, boipelaetso kgahlanong le ditshebeletso tse fokolang, hammoho le dinokwane tse kotsi tse hlometseng.
Dingangisano tsena di tla nakong eo ho nang le ho hlaselwa ha sepolesa ke karolo e nngwe ya setjhaba hammoho le masedinyana a ditaba ka hoo ho thweng ke bokgopo ba sepolesa kgahlanong le baahi. Diketsahalo tse qollehileng di kenyelletsa ho hlaselwa ha batho ba neng ba ithabisa sebakeng sa thekiso ya jwala. Ho na le diphuphutso tse etsahetseng ka maikemisetso a ho nka mehato ya kgalemo haeba mapolesa ao a fumanwa a le molato. E nngwe hape ke ho thunngwa ha Andries Tatane mane Ficksburg le ho thunngwa ha moradi wa lelapa la ba ha Ondendaal kamora hoba a thule koloi ya sepolesa ka phoso.
Diketsong tsena balatofatswa ba fanyehilwe mosebetsing mme diphuphutso di ntse di tswela pele ka tebello ya hore makgotla a dinyewe a tla diha kahlolo kamora nyewe. Diketso tse kgahlanong le molao tse etswang ke mapolesa, re di tshwela ka mathe ebile ha re di kgothalletse. Lerata le ileng la etsetswa mapolesa ke le hlohlontshang ditsebe hona hoo ekang mapolesa ha a etse letho ntle feela le ho tlatlapa le ho bolaya batho.
Ka yona nakong eo, mapolesa a ile a hlokomediswa ka tlolo ya molao East Rand boemelong ba tekisi mane Zonkezizwe, moo Konstabole Fihliwe Mavis Bengeza a ileng a thunngwa a bolawa mme mosebetsimmoho le yena Konstabole Sihle Mbatha a ileng a ntshwa kotsi. Kamora moo, Kapotene Sydney Hlengwa le Konstabole Zamikhaya Patrick Hlangulela, ba thuntswe ba bolawa mme mosebetsimmoho le bona Siyabonga Gcaleka a ntshuwa kotsi ha ba ne ba ilo fuputsa sebaka se rekisang ntle le tumello ya molao. Maobanyana mona ka Sontaha ho thuntswe le ho bolawa Warrant Officer Gershwin Matthee le Konstabole Cannon Cloete mme dithunya tsa bona tsa mosebetsi tsa nkuwa.
Lerata kgahlanong le ho bolawa ha mapolesa ha le tshwane le leo ba le etseditsweng ketsahalong tseo ke buileng ka tsona qalong mme katleho ya bona ntweng e kgahlanong le ditlolo tsa molao ha di thoholetswe ho ya kamoo ho lokelwang.
Maobanyana mona ho tshwerwe batho ka dithethefatsi Kraaifontein. Matsatsing a Paseka sepolesa se ne se tswile kahare ho naha ho boloka kgutso mebileng; ho tshwerwe tse ding tsa ditlokotsebe tse neng di batleha haholo ka hara naha; mme re sa tswa tshwara dikgetho tse atlehileng moo tshireletso ya sepolesa e entseng hore dikgoka di be siyo. Ho a hlokahala hore moo ba entseng hantle re se iphapanye, empa re ba thoholetse.
Ho bolawa ha sepolesa ka tsela e etsahalang, ho diha moya mme ho tla nyahamisa batjha ba nang le thahasello ya ho ba mapolesa. Batho ba bolayang mapolesa ba tlamehile ho utlwiswa ka letlalo mme ba utlwe motjheso.
Re kopa hore Ditekanyetso tsena di tsepamise maikutlo kwetlisong ya sepolesa ho sebetsana le letshwele ha ho na le boipelaetso bo sa kenyeng maphelo a batho le thepa tsietsing, le kwetliso e tebileng ho sireletsa maphelo a bona kgahlanong le ditlokotsebe tse sa hlompheng maphelo a mapolesa. Ho lokiswe maemo a tshebetso, meputso le ho phahamiswa mosebetsing ho ya ka bokgoni. Ho lwantshwe le ho hlaola bao e leng ditlokotsebe sepoleseng mme ha ba fumanwe ba le molato, ba lelekwe.
Re le ANC ha re batle ho lebala bohole ba moo re tswang ho fetolweng ha setjhaba sa rona ho tloha ditlwaelong tsa merusu e neng e hlohlelletswa nakong ya dilemo tsa puso ya kgethollo. Ditekanyetso tsena tsa ditjhelete di tlameha ho thusa ho netefatsa hore mapolesa a rona a rupellwa ka botlalo ho sebetsana le boitshwaro ba letshwele esitana le babelaellwa ba ditlolo tsa molao ba nang le dikgoka. Ha re batle ho etsa tsitsipano e sa hlokeheng bathong ba rona. Re a tseba hore tsena ke diketsahalo tsa methwaela e susumetswang ke boitshwaro ba lemulwana. Boholo ba bahlanka ba rona ba sepolesa, banna le basadi, ba etsa mosebetsi wa bona ka seriti ba bile ba hlompha molao.
Modulasetulo, ka Ditekanyetso tsena tsa ditjhelete re tlameha ho netefatsa hore Direktoreiti e Ikemetseng ya Phuputso ya Sepolesa e a matlafatswa hore e phethe mosebetsi oo e o romilweng mme e be le boikemelo ka thoko ho sepolesa. Mofuta ona wa molao o tla kgothaletsa ditlwaelo tsa ditekolo tsa botho le mokgwatsamaiso wa boikarabelo mabapi le boitshwaro ba sepolesa.
Civilian Secretariat for Police and Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation Unit e tlameha ho matlafatswa ka Ditekanyetso tsena tsa ditjhelete hore e tle e kgone ho lwantshana le ditlolo tsa molao tse ka sehloohong ho ya ka tjhadimo ya mmuso le puo ya pulo ya Palamente ya 2011, jwalokaha e tekilwe ke wa ha mphato Mopresidente Jacob Zuma.
Re etse hloko taba ya hore Batshwari ba Matlotlo a naha ba ananela bokgoni ba keketso ya Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation, DPCI, ho ya ka mosebetsi oo e o romilweng.
Modulasetulo, Ditekanyetso tsena tsa ditjhelete di tlameha ho matlafatsa dikamano tsa nako e telele pakeng tsa sepolesa le setjhaba. Sepheopheo sa Ditekanyetso tsena tsa ditjhelete ke ho netefatsa hore batho bohle ba Afrika Borwa ba ikutlwa ba bolokehile. Dilemong tse mmalwa tse fetileng re bone phokotseho sekgahleng sa ditlolo tsa molao Kgutlo-tharo tse akgang ho tshwarwa poho ka matlung, ho tshwarwa poho dikgwebong le botlatlapi.
Ka Ditekanyetso tsena tsa ditjhelete, ho tlameha hore ho matlafatswe selekane le setjhaba le ba bang ba bohlokwa ba amehang twantshong ya thekiso eo e seng ya molao ya dithethefatsi, tshebediso e mpe ya dithethefatsi mmoho le ditlolo tsa molao. Lefapha le ikitlaeditse ho lwantsha bonyofonyofo mehatong yohle mme yuniti e ikgethang e kgahlanong le bobodu, e se e thehilwe Lefapheng la Tshebeletso le Tsamaiso ya Setjhaba ho sebetsana le dinyewe tsa kgalemo ya basebetsi ba mmuso tse amanang le bonyofonyofo.
Ho ba motjheng ha diforamo tsa sepolesa tsa setjhaba ho tloha ntlheng ya hore thibelo e ntle ya ditlolo tsa molao e hloka tshebedisanommoho pakeng tsa sepolesa le setjhaba hobane ditlolo tsa molao di ke ke tsa thibelwa ke sepolesa se le seng. Ka mabaka ana ANC e ananela hore setjhaba se na le boikarabelo bo boholo katlehong ya botjhotjhisi ba ditlolo tsa molao.
Thibelo le twantsho ya ditlolo tsa molao di tshwanela ho bonwa e le letsema la kopanelo pakeng tsa sepolesa le setjhaba. Ke ditho tsa setjhaba tse bang dipaki, tse qosang, tse etsang dipolelo tse fanang ka bopaki makgotleng a dinyewe le ho thusa sepolesa ho phethela mesebetsi ya sona.
Dilemong tse 17 tse fetileng, mmuso o etelletsweng pele ke ANC o entse kgatelopele e kgolo kahong ya selekane se matla kgahlanong le ditlolo tsa molao. Sepolesa sa setjhaba se ka fokotsa mehopolo ya kgahlapetso ya sepolesa e akgang phenetho ya mapolesa a le mosebetsing.
Mohoo wa dikgetho wa ANC wa 2009 o hlwaile bothata ba ditlolo tsa molao le bonyofonyofo e le dintho tseo ho tlang ho tsepamiswa maikutlo ho tsona dilemong tse hlano tse tlang. Ho na le tjhadimo e totobetseng mefuteng e itseng ya ditlolo tsa molao, e kang ditlolo tsa molao tse nang le dikgoka le ditlolo tsa molao tse hlophisitsweng.
Ka mokgwa o tshwanang, ditlolo tsa molao tsa ho tshwara poho le tse hlophisitsweng, di ile tsa atisa ho ba le dikgoka kahare dilemong tse mmalwa tse fetileng, leha e le hore di ntse di fokotseha. Ntlheng ena sepolesa se qobellang molao le sepolesa sa setjhaba di hloka matlafatso ka Ditekanyetso tsena tsa ditjhelete jwalokaha ho sisintswe mohoong wa dikgetho wa ANC.
Ho ya ka mohoo wa dikgetho, dilemong tse ding tse hlano tse tlang, mmuso o tshwanela ho tsepamisa maikutlo ho kgothalletsa setjhaba ho ba le seabo twantshong ya ditlolo tsa molao ka ho thehwa ha dikomiti seterateng; makgotla a dinyewe setjhabeng le diforamo tsa sepolesa; mananeo a ponahalo ya sepolesa ho tlisa ba bangata sepoleseng; matlafatso ya bofuputsi sepoleseng le bokgoni ba mautlwela; ntlafatso ya thupello ya sepolesa; le matlafatso ya bokgoni ba sepolesa ho tsa forensiki.
Tlolo ya molao e tsitlalletse maemong oohle a setjhaba mabapi le sena. Bahlohlelletsi ba tlolo ya molao ho bonahala e le banna ba sa leng batjha ha boholo ba mahlatsipa ho bonahala e le basadi le bana. Tsela tse sebetsang kgahlanong le tlolo ya molao di tshwanela ho ipapisa le ntlha ya hore ketsahalo e tshwanela ho rarollwa ho tloha sesoseng sa yona mme ho na le mabaka a mangata a sesosa sa tlolo ya molao.
Ha ho sa ntse ho le bohlokwa ho ba matla twantshong ya tlolo ya molao, ka tsela ya hore ntshetsopele ya thibelo ya tlolo ya molao ka mekgwa ya tsamaiso e ntle ya toka e kenyeletsang bopolesa bo matla le bosiyo ba mamello ho dinokwane. Ka ho tshwanang, thathisetso e tshwanela ho shebana le disosa tsa tlolo ya molao le tsela ya yona ya dikgoka. Sena se thusa matsapeng le mananeong a kgahlanong le tlolo ya molao.
Re sa ntse re phela le masalla a maano a mabe a puso ya kgethollo, a akgang dikgoka, thunthetso ya ditokelo tsa botho, kgethollo ya mmala. [Nako e fedile.]
Ke a leboha Modulasetulo. [Mahofi.] (Translation of Sesotho speech follows.)
[Mr T M H MOFOKENG: Speaker, Minister of Police hon Nathi Mthethwa and Deputy Minister hon Maggie Sotyu, it is a great honour for me to take part in this debate after the local municipal elections, where most of the voters showed trust in this great organisation, the ANC.
The SA Police Service has been given the responsibility of preventing and investigating criminal activities, making sure that there is peace, and also protecting South African citizens and their property.
This year's budget has been increased by 3,5% and this is because Parliament has to monitor and ensure that the police give proper protection to the growing nation, react properly to protests against poor service delivery, and also act against armed and dangerous criminals.
This debate comes at a time when serious criticism is being levelled at the police by a certain part of the community, together with the media, in relation to what is called police brutality against citizens. Incidents which have been quoted include an attack on people who were celebrating at a tavern. There are some investigations being done with the intention of taking further steps should those police officers be found guilty. The other one is the shooting of Andries Tatane in Ficksburg, and the shooting of the daughter of the Odendaal family after she crashed into a police vehicle by accident.
In these incidents the accused have been suspended from work pending further investigations, with the view that the courts of law will pass judgment after the trial. We condemn these criminal activities committed by police officers, and we do not encourage them. All this negative noise towards the police paints a bad picture that all police officers do not do their job, and that all they do is to harass and kill people.
At the same time the police were alerted about criminal activities happening at the Zonkezizwe taxi rank, in the East Rand, where Constable Fihliwe Mavis Bengeza was shot and killed, and her colleague, Constable Sihle Mbatha, was injured. After that, Captain Sydney Hlengwa and Constable Zamikhaya Patrick Hlangulela were shot and killed and their colleague Siyabonga Gcaleka was injured when they went to investigate a business that was operating without a licence. Just a while back, on a Sunday, Warrant Officer Gershwin Matthee and Constable Cannon Cloete were shot and killed and their service firearms were stolen.
The noise made against the killing of police officers is not the same as the noise made about all the incidents I mentioned earlier, and the success of the police in the war against crime is not appreciated the way it's supposed to be.
Recently in Kraaifontein people were arrested for possessing drugs. During the Easter holidays the police went out all over the country to keep the peace on the streets, and some of the country's most wanted criminals were arrested. We have just held successful elections where the police ensured that there was no violence. It is important that when they perform well, we do not ignore them, but acknowledge them.
The manner in which the police are being killed is depressing and it will discourage the youth who could be interested in becoming police officers. People who murder police must be punished and they must also feel the heat.
We plead that this Budget Vote should focus on training the police on how to work with crowds during protests so that people's lives and property are not put in danger. They should also receive thorough training on how to protect their lives against criminals who do not respect the lives of the police. Working conditions and salaries must be improved, and there should be promotion based on merit. Those who are corrupt in the Police Service must be identified and, if found guilty, expelled.
We, as the ANC, do not want to forget how far we've come in changing our society from the habits of violent protests, which were caused by conditions during the period of apartheid rule. This Budget Vote must ensure that our police are trained properly on how to respond with regard to the behaviour of the crowd as well as violent suspects.
We do not want to cause unnecessary panic among our people. We know that these are activities which are done by few people who get carried away during protests. Most of our police officers, men and women, perform their duties with dignity and they respect the law.
Chairperson, with this Budget Vote we must make sure that the Independent Police Investigative Directorate is empowered to do the job which it has been assigned to do and to work independently from the police. This type of legislation will foster respect for human rights and accountability with regard to the behaviour of police officers.
The Civilian Secretariat for Police and Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation Units must be strengthened by this Budget Vote so that they can be able to fight criminal offences that are a priority, according to the government and 2011 state of the nation address by our President Jacob Zuma.
We are aware that the National Treasury has considered the possibility of expanding the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation, DPCI, according to the work it has been assigned to perform.
Chairperson, this Budget Vote must strengthen the long-term relationship between the police and the community. The main purpose of this Budget Vote is to make sure that all South Africans feel protected. In the past few years we have seen a decrease in criminal offences in the Vaal Triangle, which include house-breaking, robberies in business centres and muggings.
Through this Budget Vote a strong partnership should be formed between government and the people, together with those who are involved in the fight against drug dealing, drug abuse and other criminal offences. The department is determined to fight corruption at all levels, and therefore a special unit which will combat corruption has been established in the Department of Public Service and Administration to conduct disciplinary hearings for government employees who are involved in corruption.
In order for community police forums and public forums to work properly, there should be proper crime prevention strategies and co-operation between the police and the community because crime cannot be prevented by the police alone. Because of these reasons, the ANC acknowledges the fact that communities have a huge responsibility in the success of prosecuting criminal offences.
Prevention and the fight against crime must be seen as a partnership between the police and the community. It is the community members who become witnesses, who complain, who make statements in court and also who help the police in the process of their investigations.
Over the past 17 years the ANC-led government has made huge progress in building a strong alliance against crime. Community police forums can change the attitudes of violence against the police, which include police being murdered in the line of duty.
The ANC election campaign of 2009 recognised the problem of crime and corruption as the main thing which would be focused on in the five years ahead. Other types of crime will also be seriously dealt with, for example violence and pre-meditated crimes.
In the same manner, criminal offences such as robbery and premeditated crimes usually involved violence in the past few years, even though they are now decreasing. In this matter the law enforcement agencies and community police forums need to be financially strengthed through this Budget Vote, as suggested during the ANC election campaign.
According to the election campaign, in the next five years the government must keep its focus on encouraging the community to take part in the fight against crime by forming street committees, courts of law in the community as well as community police forums. Police visibility programmes, promoting police training, and strengthening forensic skills are also important.
Crime is persistent in all aspects of the community with regard to this matter. Seemingly, crime perpetrators are mostly men; and women and children are victims. Strategies that work in the fight against crime are supposed to be based on the fact that a problem should be solved from the root because there are many reasons for a crime.
It is still important to be strong in the fight against crime, in such a way that the development of crime prevention strategies should include good management of the justice system and zero tolerance for criminals. Similarly, focus must be on reasons for criminal offences and violence. This will assist in attempts and programmes that fight crime.
We are still suffering the consequences of the bad policies of the apartheid government, which include violence, violation of human rights and discrimination. [Time expired.]
Thank you, Chairperson. [Applause.]]
Chairperson, Minister and Deputy Minister of Police, Chairperson of the Select Committee on Security and Constitutional Development, my colleague, the Gauteng MEC for community safety, members of the legislature in Gauteng, hon Members of Parliament, SAPS management, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen, I want to start off by saying that I concur with the Minister on the wonderful job that the SAPS did over the elections. I went around to many voting stations and the SAPS had done a phenomenonal job, and I think we need to commend them. [Applause.]
In the same breath, I think we also need to say the big challenge is that post-election violence is flaring up. I have seen how, in the Plettenberg Bay area, where the mayoral candidate for the DA, Mr Memory Booysen, who was victorious in that area, was hunted out of his house allegedly by upset ANC supporters.
I think we need to get a culture into our electorate of respecting the results of the elections. We are not in Burkina Faso or any other country; we are in South Africa, where we have a democratic electoral system. I need to just say that we need to get our police to ensure that the safety of everyone is respected and secured in those places.
Madam Chair and hon Minister, I wish to express my utmost sadness and deep regret at the spate of police murders in both KwaZulu-Natal and the Western Cape in the past few days. The high number of police deaths is cause for great concern and must be addressed without delay.
The Police Service has a constitutional responsibility to combat, prevent and investigate crime; to maintain public order; protect and secure the inhabitants of the Republic as well as their property; and to uphold and enforce the law.
This is a fundamental role, and so many men and women in blue take up this fight every day. Very often they perform thankless duties while their families do not know whether they are going to return home that night or the following morning. Too many police officers have given their lives in fighting crime.
Last year, 88 police officers died in the line of duty. This past weekend, Warrant Officer Matthee and student Constable Cloete were shot dead in Cape Town. Captain Sydney Bongani Hlengwa and Constable Zamikhaya Patrick Hlangulela were killed in KwaZulu-Natal. This is completely unacceptable. I think the nation should take a stand against this.
The killing of police officers is totally unacceptable and must be condemned in the strongest terms. It not only points to a breakdown in respect for this profession, but it also shows the lengths to which criminals will go to perpetrate their crimes. An attack on police officers is a direct attack on the state and on law and order. I think we must start saying it like that and actually charge them with sabotage or something.
I must however stress that each police officer and each and every person murdered in our country is a cause for serious concern. The perpetrators of all of these crimes must be brought to book and we must secure convictions in these cases.
Crime is a scourge, and South Africa is particularly hard hit by crime and violence. Safety is important to all of us because it lays the foundations for growth and job creation - as the hon President has requested that we need to create jobs. Safety allows our children to learn at schools free from fear. And safety is fundamental to our citizens' wellness so that they can play an active role in the economy and thereby alleviate poverty. Making South Africa safer is a top priority, as safety impacts on so many of the things that we aim to achieve. This is most likely the reason the SAPS received such a substantial and ever-increasing budget allocation.
The police budget has tripled in the past decade. The budget for the 2011- 12 financial year roughly translates to R160 million per day. South Africans spend close to R5 billion every month on the police. Even after the reported 7% decrease in the national murder rate last year, South Africa sadly ranks high on the list of murder rates per capita.
It is vital therefore that we ensure that these vast sums are properly utilised to resource and capacitate the SAPS. We must ensure that no cent is wasted and that no effort is misspent in the fight against crime. This is why oversight is so important.
The Constitution provides for various oversight mechanisms. Provincial governments have a duty to exercise oversight, to ensure accountability and to ensure that the police act appropriately and efficiently and deliver services to the people of South Africa in the fight against crime.
I have visited many police stations in the Western Cape. Time and time again the complaints from communities, community police forums, and from police officers themselves relate to lack of resources. For example, I cannot remember a single station that has not mentioned lack of vehicles as a major concern. The police must be properly resourced and trained if they are to function successfully and really address crime.
The Police, however, are not alone in their fight. As Minister Mthethwa stated in his speech in Parliament a month ago, the police are and always must be subjected to the will of the people they serve. This implies reciprocity between communities and police. Safety is not the concern of the police officers alone, ladies and gentlemen.
Communities have an important role to play in increasing safety - from CPFs to neighbourhood watches, local churches, mosques, school committees, sports organisations, and to town councils who put up lights in particular areas. They must all play a role and remove opportunities for crime. Schools that act as Mass Participation, Opportunity and Access, Development and Growth, MOD, centres - those are centres that help with afternoon activities for children - should remove the motivation for children to become victims of or participants in crime.
There are many elements in civil and public society that can contribute to making our spaces safer. We need to ensure that the potential of the whole society is drawn on in order to identify opportunities to beat crime and then structured to prevent violence and address the root causes of crime. In this regard, economic development must happen. We must create jobs. It is not only the police, but also communities, the private sector, mothers, hospitals, schools and even the elderly that are role-players in a safety solution.
As part of the provincial executive, we are tasked with promoting good relations between the police and communities, as are the community police forums. Good relations are needed in order for information to flow from communities to police. They are needed to generate a healthy respect for the work of the Police Service.
Good relations are needed so that the police can support community safety initiatives. And so, if communities have information about drug lords let there be a safe line to the police so that the police can act on it. The community should not have to become worried whether they are going to be victimised by the drug lords or that someone in the police stations will take the information back.
Neighbourhood watches and CPFs have an important participatory role in the whole of society approach. These organisations are important safety partners in bringing the police and communities together and in fostering good relations between the two.
Organisations such as the CPFs need to be strengthened and capacitated so that they can perform their legal mandate of civilian oversight of the police and form the link between the police and the community in which they operate. We rarely hear that CPFs are having community meetings where they report on the claims of crime in that community. We rarely hear that community police forums are creating youth programmes for our children as an alternative to gangsterism. We rarely hear that our CPFs get engaged with civil society formations, such as churches, mosques and schools to identify the problems of crime in those communities.
I am sure that safety can only be achieved through collective effort and public investment. [Interjections.] We now need to harness these opportunities to make our country safer, so that we can build a society in which we are free from the fear that is caused by crime.
Hon members, in terms of Rule 11, I would like to inform you that the hon Mazosiwe will now take over the Chair.
Chairperson, the Minister of Police, my colleague, hon Nathi Mthethwa, the Chairperson of the Select Committee on Security and Constitutional Development, my homeboy Ntate Mofokeng, I greet you.
I would also like to acknowledge the presence of the portfolio committee chairperson of the National Assembly up in the gallery, hon Chikunga. Members of the NCOP, guests from the Ministry, MECs from different provinces, ladies and gentlemen, I want to commence this address by paying my respects to all our police officers who have been mercilessly murdered by heartless criminals over the past weeks.
Indeed, MEC Fritz, we say that their untimely passing shall not be in vain and that as the leadership of police, in partnership with law-abiding South Africans, we shall continue to pursue those responsible and ensure that they are severely punished.
We are addressing this august House after the nation has participated in the most secure and safe local government elections. We all agree. The safety of these elections was not a sporadic coincidence, but the result of proper planning and commitment from our members. [Applause.]
The very same police officers who leave their homes every morning with no guarantee that they will return home safely do so because they are determined to protect the nation from vicious criminals. We want to pay homage to these unsung heroes and heroines. We remain committed to ensuring the safety of our members. We therefore call upon members of this House, together with all South Africans, to support our men and women in blue.
As part of our commitment to ensuring the wellbeing of our police officers, we shall continue to ensure that all human resources related aspects are given priority. To this end a number of complaints have been received about delays in pension payouts. The National Commissioner of Police has undertaken to reduce the period of finalisation to three months.
Work is already under way to remove the current bottlenecks in the value chain of pension payouts. This involves other key role-players, like the Government Employees Pension Fund and Sars, which will assist in the forward integration of systems to expedite pension payouts.
The National Commissioner of Police also approved an increase in the stipend payable to entry level police trainees. We know that it used to be R1 600 per month. It has since been increased to R3 175 with effect from 1 October 2010. This substantial increase in the stipend is aimed at improving the quality of life of police trainees and offering an improved incentive to prospective applicants to the SAPS.
Yiyo loo nto siye sithi xa sifuna amapolisa amatsha sijonge ukuba uphuma kuluntu olunjani nokuba isimilo sakho sinjani eluntwini, ngoba ubupolisa ayingomsebenzi nje, lubizo. (Translation of isiXhosa paragraph follows.)
[That is why when we recruit police personnel, we check their community background and their behaviour in the community. We do this because the Police Service is not just a job, but a vocation.]
During the 2011-12 financial year the SAPS will appoint 6 168 entry level police trainees and 1 452 administrative support personnel. The focus of these new appointments is to address capacity shortages in the crime intelligence, criminal record and forensic science laboratories; among detectives and in the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation, DPCI, environment to address backlogs in investigations; as well as to improve service delivery. Recruitment of these personnel will specifically focus on quality, not quantity.
The SAPS strives to become a career of choice and excellence and not just another job, as I have said. It is focusing on moving away from being a single point decision-making authority to involving the community in recruitment through structures like community police forums, CPFs, relevant nongovernmental organisations, NGOs, schools, churches etc, in order to improve the quality of trainees.
What we mean here is that when we decide to recruit you into the Police Service, we are not going to do what we did before - look at the qualifications and driver's licence and not consider where you come from, your conduct and how you have been brought up.
The department will embark on a process of identifying role models within the community who can assist the SAPS in communicating specific messages to the broader community relating to the strategic priorities of the SAPS. One way of achieving this would be for the community to provide information on criminals to the police and, similarly, for the police to be proactive in investigations.
Otherwise we will arrest you, hon Bloem, if your child is involved with dagga and you decide to put him somewhere where we won't be able to get him or her. [Laughter.]
The government has been clear in its gender equity representative requirements. To this end the SAPS will, as part of its transformation drive, advance its women empowerment programme. Continued efforts will be made to promote gender equity by developing women and appointing them in management posts. In addition, we will endeavour to achieve the 2% target of people with disabilities.
We commit ourselves to making sure that in future we increase the number of women as provincial commissioners within the SAPS, the Independent Complaints Directorate, ICD, and the National Secretariat. [Applause.] The improvement of the gender ratio has, however, been prioritised by the National Commissioner of Police who has instructed top management at all levels to ensure the continuous improvement of the gender equity ratio as a matter of the utmost priority.
As the leadership of the police, we believe that there are many capable women within the department, and we shall continue to drive women advancement through the SAPS women's network. Our firm belief is premised on the reality that we have officers of such calibre, the resources and, importantly, the will and desire to succeed. These advantages must be used to advance women in our endeavours to reduce crime and accelerate poverty alleviation.
We also need to take this opportunity to highlight the SAPS endeavours to move towards a quota of 50% women leadership. As the Minister pointed out, we need to ensure increased representation of women in operational and specialised environments.
We don't only want to see women in junior management; we want to see them in senior management. This is a duty that must be carried out by the management of this department. As the leadership, we remain confident that it will happen and we will achieve it.
In order to ensure collaboration amongst departments in the Justice, Crime Prevention and Security, JCPS, cluster, the SAPS must continue to ensure active participation in the interdepartmental forums, which have been established across various spheres of government.
The SAPS is finalising a youth crime prevention manual which will guide police stations on the participation they need to engage in in order to ensure that young people build resilience against and resistance to crime. I must say that the Northern Cape is the only province, so far, that has already started this.
The partnership between the Department of Basic Education and the SAPS continued during 2010-11, and resulted in a draft protocol between the two departments being developed. The school safety programme addresses the immediate safety concerns of school communities and provides a platform for the SAPS to contribute to education as a long-term investment in safe and sustainable communities.
New offences such as those relating to sexual activity among consenting, underaged children; grooming of children; engaging the sexual services of others; and trafficking for sexual purposes are examples of matters that require consolidated efforts.
One of these is ukuthwala [the practice of abducting young girls and forcing them into marriage]. We say that we will arrest those who abuse children as wives at a tender age. We will even go further and arrest the facilitators, who are parents in this instance.
The SAPS also continues to participate in the process led by the Department of Justice and Constitutional Development of monitoring the implementation of the Child Justice Act, Act 75 of 2008. Continued support will be provided to the Department of Social Development on the drug demand reduction programme. We support the Department of Social Development, and we are therefore in partnership with them when it comes to the issue of drug abuse by young people. This programme involves all departments and targets communities, parents, young people and other networks of support to people who are vulnerable to the abuse of substances. It is aimed at reducing drug and substance abuse.
Other business communities continue to assist the SAPS in the fight against crime by sponsoring crime-related projects. Examples of these are Crime Reporting Boards, Soul City, Prime Media, Vodacom, etc. We all have an obligation to deal with the perception of crime and build a positive image of the SAPS.
We must provide a speedy reaction to the needs of our communities and provide them with prompt feedback regarding their cases. We will show that we, as an organisation that exists for the good of others, will live up to this promise to take care of those who fall victim to crime and deal harshly with criminal elements even within our own ranks.
We must recognise the excellent work of the majority of our police officers who put their lives at risk daily for each and every one of us in the interests of safety. Our efforts to root out corrupt and criminal individuals in our organisation will intensify, as alluded to by the Minister.
As the government, we have an obligation to put crime in South Africa into the right perspective and to keep our communities informed about the efforts by the government to provide safe communities and have people feel safe.
As members of the SAPS we have once again demonstrated our capability and commitment to serve the nation in the recent local government elections. We salute you and we urge all communities to continue working with the police in order for us to be able to stop criminals from torturing our communities. Thank you. [Applause.]
Chairperson, while appreciating the good work done by the police, as alluded to by the Minister and the Deputy Minister, Cope would like to give the following suggestions and guidance.
I will focus mainly on the police killings, without repeating the speeches made by other hon members. Let us look back at what happened to the relationship between the police and the community. Can we think about the time when we started - that people were beginning to say hhayi iphoyisa, hhi hhi yinja hhi hhi uyafa [no to the police; they are dogs because people die at the hands of the police]!
That was where the relationship ended. Now, as the ruling party or the government of the day, we should sit down and try to look back and see what went wrong and where.
During my time I tried to get hold of the directorate on police safety and that person's duty was to analyse all the police killing incidents. Let us do this now, as I am suggesting; let us have what we call "adopt a cop". At present it is only in schools, but what about churches and other departments, so that they can mobilise the community?
The national commissioner and the Minister are doing a very good job by visiting the police, but they hardly ever visit the community to cement the relationship between the police and the community so that fatal incidents are minimised. We do not want to point fingers.
Think back to the time when General Bheki Cele was getting married. He went there in uniform - it is allowed - in order that youngsters can also learn from that and know that if you are a police officer you can marry in your regalia. During graduation, you are allowed to wear your uniform and by doing so you build up a relationship.
In Iraq a child in preschool used to know the whole structure of the government; what about in our country? The police must, time and again, go to the schools and even to churches and during funerals. They must go in uniform so that the people will see that they are supporting them. Then the killings will be minimised. Minister, we are making this call. What I am saying is valuable. I thank you.
Chairperson, hon Minister of Police, the Deputy Minister of Police and MECs present, we have heard many good things about the police and their good planning today, and we hope that they will succeed. Before one can support the Budget Vote for the police, one should firstly judge the performance of the Police Service over the past year.
I am asking today: Why is it that as a member of the Select Committee on Security and Constitutional Development, I am convinced that the SA Police Service has begun a slow but relentless meltdown? Certainly the world watched as Parliament voted to shut down one of the best crime fighting units - probably the best crime fighting unit this country has ever had.
This decision was implemented in complete defiance of public opinion and marked a dark day in our democratic history. Now the court has ruled that the disbandment of the Scorpions was unconstitutional.
That brings me to the question: What mechanism are we going to use to police the police? We need a unit of civilians who will serve this country without fear or favour. Today we sit with the National Commissioner of Police who has - according to the Public Protector committed an act that is illegal. To quote from Adv Madonsela's findings:
Cele's conduct was improper, unlawful and amounted to maladministration.
The Minister asked the shadow Minister of Police in the National Assembly a fortnight ago to wait until the results of the investigation into the dodgy Durban property deal were ready, but that begs the question: Why, Minister? Why must we wait?
The President repeatedly states his commitment to rooting out corruption and his drive to curb maladministration, and he must turn his words into action. It is not only the National Commissioner of Police's lack of administrative ability or his inability to balance the budget that led, for example, to transfers from capital to pay salaries in contravention of the Public Finance Management Act, the PFMA.
The SAPS were hauled before the Standing Committee on Appropriations to explain themselves - something that has never happened before. Their annual performance plan was late and not in line with Treasury guidelines. They gave the committee a tatty cut and paste job in which there were such substantial errors as entering R1,1 million where it should have been R1,1 billion! This was the worst budget briefing we have ever attended to date.
The targets are a mess or missing entirely; the management levels are bloated and the budget overspent. There is one administrator to every three operational members and no infrastructure plan. For the first time ever we have seen the entire budget spent before the end of the fiscal year on things like huge national parties, with thousands of SAPS members flown in rather than driven to attend. This was to the tune of R36 million - last year it was R29 million.
It has taken us a year and a half to get those figures and it appears that the Ministry imagines it has the right to do exactly as it wishes with the taxpayers' money and that the checks and balances of Parliament are merely a minor irritation in its day.
We shall continue digging and we will find out how much was spent and where, and if, indeed, the tenders for the thousands of units of free clothing, bags, caps and the like were only put on the SAPS intranet and then only some eleven days before the event swiftly pulled off again and then granted to a hastily formed company headed by the relatives of members of the top structure.
The R66 million that has been wasted on these parties could, for example, have paid for CCTV coverage for forensic laboratories, with a substantial amount left over to aid some of the crumbling stations. This is the same man who lives in a R4 million house - a purchase approved by the accounting officer according to the Minister. And, of course, the National Commissioner of Police is the accounting officer.
It just so happens that we received a letter from the Public Service Commission on this very matter and its investigation, at my behest, has revealed that the offer to purchase the property was dodgy - thanks to Public Works - and on the SAPS side, only one quote was obtained time and again for half a million rand's worth of furniture. We must get our administration sorted out and make sure that it is reliable.
That is not all: The investigations by SAPS members are so unprofessional that there has been a 74% increase in referrals back to the lower courts - we're talking 368 000 of them in this past year. This is not good news for the victims of crime - speaking of whom, under the commissioner the contact and trio crimes reduction targets have been quietly dropped to a miserly 4% from 7%. This is 4% in exchange for a R58 billion budget.
Then there is the target to reduce crime by 2%. These targets are so low the performance agreement contract signed by the Minister could be made by a private security firm, so we know that his job is safe. The target for prevention of crimes against children has been dropped and there is no target at all in relation to organised crime. It is only now that the SAPS is developing a manual that tells SAPS members how not to destroy a crime scene.
Last year, the police commissioner told the police portfolio committee that 3 226 SAPS firearms had been lost or stolen; a 17% increase on the previous year and a 240% increase since 2001. We are talking about 13 438 firearms that are now being used against the police and the rest of us.
In conclusion, I must thank the vast majority of SAPS members, the brave and honest men and women who work tirelessly in the attempt to keep us safe. They do a spectacular job despite a vacuum in leadership. Do you imagine that the DA is going to support this Budget? The DA will vote against it. I thank you.
Ngiyabonga Sihlalo weNdlu yemikhandlu yeziFundazwe, ngibingelela amalungu ale Ndlu kanye naboNgqongqoshe abavela kuzo zonke izifundazwe. (Translation of isiZulu paragraph follows.)
[Ms N F MAZIBUKO (Gauteng): Thank you, Chairperson of the NCOP. I greet the members of this House and the MECs from all provinces.]
The MEC from the Western Cape, my colleague, I appreciate you acknowledging me. I am always a rose amongst the thorns.
Ngibingelela uNgqongqoshe weZamaphoyisa ubaba uNathi Mthethwa kanye noSekela wakhe umama uSotyu, ngibingelele nazo zonke iziphathimandla ezikhona ngokushiyana kwenu ngezikhundla zenu.
Ngqongqoshe kanye nawe Sekela Ngqongqoshe, baye bathi uma ngabe inqola imile izinja ziyayichamela, uma ngabe inqola ihamba izinja ziyayikhonkotha, yikho-ke lokhu okuqeda kwenzeka manje; mina ngithi yibambeni njalo nje ningapheli umoya, makuyiwe phambili.
Nathi siyisiFundazwe saseGauteng siyaleseka leli Voti leSabiwomali ngoba kungenxa yalo lapho sibona isifundazwe sethu sase-Gauteng siba nentuthuko, ikakhulukazi emaphoyiseni. Nanoma sicaphuna nje kancane, kepha eGauteng zikhona okungenani iziTeshi zamaPhoyisa ezizokwakhiwa, ikakhulu ezindaweni ezidingayo futhi nalezo ezigcwele ubugebengu, njengaseTembisa, e- Olivenhoutbosch, eCosmo City, njalo njalo.
Siyabonga ngoba nathi sesinaye uKhomishani wamaPhoyisa omusha osanda kuqala umsebenzi wakhe ngonyaka odlule. Kuze kube manje simbonile ukuthi uyashesha. Unele wangena nje ehhovisi, wathi uma ezwa uNdunankulu ebelesele ethi, bafowethu kuyasheshwa! Naye washesha.
Sekunezinguquko eziningi emaphoyiseni, ikakhulukazi eGauteng. Njengokuthi uma uhamba ebusuku, nawe uyazibonela ukuthi kunezinqola ezilokhu zihambahamba, zikhanyise izibani zazo eziwumbala oluhlaza okwesibhakabhaka, phecelezi ama-blue lights.
Useqinise nohlelo lwe-sector policing, lapho isekethe ngayinye isinezinqola ezimbili eziphithizelayo ngaso sonke isikhathi. Kangangoba lokhu sekwenze ngcono ngisho nesikhathi uma ngabe amaphoyisa ebizwa eza ngokushesha, phecelezi i-response time. (Translation of isiZulu paragraphs follows.)
[I greet the Minister of Police, Mr Nathi Mthethwa and his deputy, Ms Sotyu. I also greet all officials present, and all protocol observed.
Minister and Deputy Minister, they say a stationary vehicle will have dogs urinating on it; if it is in motion they bark at it, and this is exactly what has just happened now. I for one say continue doing as you are doing; don't be discouraged, let's go forth.
We too, as Gauteng province, support the Budget Vote because it is through it that we see our province of Gauteng developing, especially with regard to the police. Although we take a limited amount, we have at least some police stations that will be built, mainly in places with a high crime rate, like Tembisa, Olivenhoutbosch, Cosmo City, etc.
We are grateful because we now have a new police commissioner who started working last year. We have so far noticed that he responds quickly. Soon after taking office, he heard the premier insisting that things should be done quickly. He made haste in this instance as well.
There are many changes now in the police, especially in Gauteng. For example, if you are out at night you can observe that there are police cars patrolling, with blue lights on.
He has reinforced the system of sector policing as well, where each circuit has two cars patrolling all the time. Now even the response time has improved.]
Gone are those days when people used to say that the police always came late, if they even came at all.
Usebophe izigilamkhuba eziningi ezibalelwa kuma-256 nokukhona phakathi kwa zo namaphoyisa kulesi sikhashana nje engenile ehhovisi lakhe. Sinethemba lokuthi namanye amaphoyisa acabanga ukwenza ubugebengu ayazibonela nawo ukuthi cha, la kubaba uMzwandile Petros, alufakwa lubuya nodaka. (Translation of isiZulu paragraph follows.)
[He has arrested many criminals, estimated at 256, in this short time in office, amongst them police officers. We hope that other police officers contemplating committing crime also realise that Mr Mzwandile Petros is not playing games.]
In Gauteng there are eight crime generators, namely liquor and drug outlets, firearms, bank followings, spaza shops, illegal mining, hijacked buildings and hostels, and lastly, the shopping malls.
There are also 10 identified crimes that are always bothering people. These are murder, robbery with aggravating circumstances, hijacking of motor vehicles, truck hijackings, residential robberies, business robberies, burglary of businesses, residential burglaries, thefts from motor vehicles and, lastly, sexual offences.
Working together with the Gauteng community and the police, we strive to have a safer Gauteng for all its citizens. Gone are the days when Gauteng was known as a gangster's paradise. We want to make it a smart province, and a home of champions - that is why you only find Orlando Pirates and all others. [Laughter.]
The core mandate of our department of community safety is to develop and implement strategies and plans that will make Gauteng a safe and secure province for all its citizens and visitors. This mandate is actually carried out in the context that policing is a national function. The province's responsibility is to set out policing needs and priorities, to monitor police conduct and to promote good relations between the police and the community.
In Gauteng we have strategic priorities and we are sure that they will help us to remove this scourge, and that our smart province will not be under siege from criminals. Amongst these priorities is to mobilise communities to participate in their community police forum. We do this together with various partners such as the police, business, youth, political parties, taxi associations, faith-based organisations, women's organisations, celebrities, sportsmen and-women and schools.
To date, we have 120 functional community police forums, CPFs, and 87 youth desks in our police stations. In this coming financial year, with your help, we will make sure that we launch the rest of the CPFs and the youth desks that are still remaining.
We believe that having partnerships is important because it makes everyone take responsibility and helps us to fight crime, which is very important. We recognise community involvement and ownership as key factors for the sustainability and effectiveness of change initiatives at the local level. It makes our people feel safe and secure.
We believe that we have a holistic approach that focuses on the risk factors which contribute to crime. They include poverty, unemployment, the school drop-out rate, substance abuse and alcohol abuse.
We believe that there should be a basket of services which will help to prevent families, children and young people from becoming criminals in their lifetime. The establishment of community police forums remains crucial in our endeavour to help the police to reduce crime.
To focus on vulnerable groups, especially crimes against women, children and people with disabilities, will always remain a very high priority. Through having various programmes and activities in Gauteng, we are also reclaiming our nights and streets. In Gauteng it will now be easy to walk at night without fear. You will also be able to wear your miniskirt and tights, knowing that you will not be harassed by those with roving eyes.
Victim empowerment centres, such as Amakhaya Ethemba, have received a number of domestic and sexual offence cases. Personalised services are actually being put together to make sure that we do service the rest of Gauteng, including the peri-urban areas such as Magaliesburg.
The strengthening of the criminal justice system is also crucial. It will win the confidence of our people in their fight for a safer Gauteng. The police are doing their utmost to catch the perpetrators of crime, but the courts are still failing us. To deal with a case is like a cycle where a case gets opened, a detective investigates and the case goes to court, with the expectation of prosecution.
We recognise that the outcomes are not always what communities expect. We are hoping that with your interaction, together with the Minister of Justice and Constitutional Development, you will be able to assist us in winning back the confidence of our community.
In fighting social crimes we are encouraging communities to report crimes against women, children and people with disabilities without fear or favour, irrespective of who the perpetrator is. All wards are now working with CPFs within a policing area to monitor the rate of reporting on crimes against vulnerable groups and to keep a register of reported cases on a monthly basis.
We have also helped in establishing a welcoming environment, normally called "customer centres", in some of the police stations. We have trained compassionate and dedicated officers so that when you walk into a police station, you do not come across a very angry and ugly policeman or woman, but you are received with a friendly face.
Communities are also requested to spearhead the 16 days of Activism for No Violence Against Woment and Children so that each ward could have an activity to mark that day. We are also encouraging the participation of men in fighting crimes against women and children.
On our Know your Neighbourhood campaign, which is one of our very successful campaigns, we are encouraging communities to actually take an interest in knowing who is staying in each and every house in their neighbourhood, thus they will be able to identify criminals, criminal elements and their modus operandi. By this, we are encouraging people to be oMaMgobhozi, nabobab' uMgobhozi, babe yizimpimpi [police informers] instead of them walking into their homes and switching on their TVs and not caring about what is actually happening in their neighbourhood. We are saying that those days are gone.
Umama nobaba kumele bakwazi ukuma esangweni - uyakhumbula ngaleziya zinsuku lapho sasigcobisa isikekezi kanye nezingubo zokulala ezidabukile sime othangweni. [Mother and father should be able to stand by the gate - do you recall way back in the day when we stood by the fence with cream on our faces and torn sleepwear?]
We are encouraging them to actually do that. Communities will take care of their environmental design and have regular Letsema campaigns in order to cut long grass and report lights that are not working. We are also mobilising our communities to join the patrol movement. In very dark areas, before service delivery comes, people will feel safe whilst walking to school.
With our school safety programme, we are encouraging communities to spearhead the safety of schools programme. Parents should also involve themselves in knowing where their children are during school time. Learners should be in school on time and learning.
We are hoping that with this important budget, we will be able to implement more. I thank you. [Applause.]
Chair, hon Minister and Deputy Minister, members of the House, ladies and gentlemen, I must indicate that I was disappointed when I listened to hon member Makhubela and hon member Byleveldt. Let me clarify the situation: Member Makhubela was a former commissioner in the apartheid Police Force ... [Interjections.] ... and member Byleveldt was a senior soldier in the former apartheid defence force.
Order! Order, hon members.
On a point of order, Chair. I rise on a point of order! I just want to ask the member not to lie to the House. I was in the premier's house ...
Order! Hon Byleveldt, is there a point of order? What is the point of order?
It is that I served in the national defence force, not in the old apartheid defence force.
Chair, I will continue by clarifying that scene. I want the hon Byleveldt not to mislead the society out there. He served for a long period in that army and not in these 17 years of the ANC-led government.
He is aware that the army and the police were training criminals; we were victims of that situation. We have a different police force now that is trying to change the legacy that we inherited from you, and I'm asking you not to mislead this community.
Hon member, would you please refer to the Chair.
Through you, Chair - I'm sorry about that - I'm a victim who lost a brother because of that army and the former Police Force.
Is that 17 years ago?
Yes, I'm saying this because that's what they did and that is the legacy we have inherited. Through you, Chair, they are addressing me. [Laughter.] But Chair, I wanted to remind them that they were leading those forces that killed our brothers. They were leading ...
Order, hon members!
Is the member prepared to take a question?
Are you prepared to take a question, hon Matila?
After I've completed my speech, Chair.
Order! Order! Members, order! Continue, hon Matila.
Chair, I think I've made my point because of these former senior members of the previous security forces. Let me get on with my speech, Chair.
Speaking at the Freedom Day celebration on 27 April 1998, former President Mandela said, and I quote:
When we gathered here on the Grand Parade in February 1990, we knew that our march to freedom was irreversible, that nothing could stop our dream of a free South Africa coming true. The people had opened the prison doors and we knew that it would not be long before we found the way to peace and democracy.
Former President Mandela went on to say -
Our freedom is also incomplete, dear compatriots, as long as we are denied our security by the criminals who prey upon our communities; who rob our businesses and undermine our economy; who ply their destructive trade in drugs in our schools; who do violence against our women and children.
Yesterday, many countries on our continent celebrated Africa Day in commemoration of the founding of the Organisation of African Unity, OAU, established in Addis Ababa on 25 May 1963. The OAU had, as its central task, the promotion of peace, unity and co-operation across the national borders of our continent.
Some of the key elements of the principles of that unity were picked up by the former President, Thabo Mbeki, in his opening address at the launch in Durban on 9 July 2002 of the African Union, AU, the successor of the OAU. He said, among other things:
As Africans, we have come to understand that there can be no sustainable development without peace, without security and without stability .. We must end the senseless conflicts and wars on our continent which have caused so much pain and suffering to our people and turned many of them into refugees and displacees and forced others into exile. We must accept that dialogue and peaceful resolution of conflicts are the only way to guarantee enduring peace and stability for our people.
Crime, more especially its violent nature, presents one of the paramount challenges to development, because beyond the direct effect of victims, violent crime inflicts widespread costs, generating a climate of fear for all citizens and diminishing economic growth.
As a result of this and other factors, some scholars and researchers have argued that crime is the number one social problem. It is quite correct that the high level of violent crime remains our greatest challenge. Working together, we can and must do more in the fight against crime.
During the 52nd national conference of the African National Congress in Polokwane, we resolved that young people must also be involved in a massive programme of community policing and safety that would include night street patrols; and have stipends paid by government as part of the national youth service to instil in our youth the value of serving and protecting communities and public property. There is a need for a firm resolution on social crime prevention.
In this regard, the police Ministry needs to intensify the implementation of all crime prevention strategies, including local crime prevention plans. Community safety forums throughout the country should continually be established and strengthened. These forums will assist a great deal in the implementation of a structured multi-agency approach to crime prevention initiatives at the local level.
In many communities where people work together with the police, levels of crime have gone down. Let me also remind the former members, through you, Chair, that it is the United Democratic Front that brought communities together in the 80s, when we wanted to defend ourselves against those former brutal police forces, which were organised against the people of this country.
It is a reality that they were assisting criminals to kill our own people when we started forming street committees and dealing with those issues. I wanted to remind the member that today we are saying communities must come together and work with the police because this is the new police force; it is not the one that acted against our own people.
That is the situation we are talking about. We are bringing back issues that were implemented during the 80s; issues that made sure that our own communities that are taking care of their own safety are being assisted by the police. [Interjections.]
Order, hon member Faber!
Chair, I would like to know if the member will take a question for clarity - just for the purposes of clarity.
Chair, after my speech. You know, he's from the former Police Force. He's from the old Police Force, he knows what they did.
Order! Continue, hon member.
Chair, I want to conclude. I won't read the entire speech because some of the issues were raised by other members, but I want to indicate that our communities are ... [Interjections.]
Continue, hon member.
I'm being disturbed, here; I'm not sure what the problem is.
Order! Hon member, continue.
In conclusion, I must indicate that it is because of the issues raised in the Freedom Charter that the Ministry and the police today are implementing some of these elements. The United Democratic Front taught us previously to implement some of those programmes. To assist this House, Chair, I won't be long. I will therefore indicate that as the ANC we support this Budget Vote. [Applause.]
Chair and hon members, the chairperson and Western Cape MEC, together with the Deputy Minister, raised the fundamental issue of police killings.
We want to take this opportunity to urge all in our communities to help the police to deal with this problem. These are people who are tasked to protect all of us, and they also need our protection so that whoever is involved in these heinous crimes is exposed.
I must also say that for the past week, we have seen some concentration, particularly from the media, when we raised our voice. We would still want to see or hear them raising their voice even more in condemning these crimes against the police. This is brutality against the police, and as the public we must voice that without any hesitation.
We also want to agree with the chairperson that we need to get to the bottom of understanding the violent nature of crime in our country so that we are able, in a scientific way, to respond to this challenge.
A few years ago we gave some people a task to do that. We still have to give it to others, because we did not get what we wanted. When people talk a lot about crime and all those things, we must point to the fact that at some point those who are supposed to be experts in this matter fail us.
The issue of the mayor, MEC ... [Interjections.]
Order! Minister ...
Chairperson, I just want to know if the Minister is prepared to take a question on what he has just said. [Interjections.]
Order, members! Minister, are you prepared to take a question? [Interjections.] Order, members!
Well, if I have spare time, I will do so.
With regard to the issue of the mayor, MEC, whom you are talking about, I am sure that you will agree with me that the police in our country are more than capable of dealing with such matters. Be it a mayor or an ordinary citizen, the matter is reported to the police. It is going to be attended to.
With regard to the community police forums, CPFs, in terms of the new Act, I think we need to emphasise the fact that it is going to be more in the hands of the civilians and the Ministry, whereas in the past this was run by the department and the police commissioner. It's now going to be squarely in the hands of the Ministry and will be run from the secretariat point of view.
I agree with you that members should be proud of their uniform, and should wear it with pride. That is why we emphasise the point that, within the police, everybody should be upright so that they are able to do what society expects them to do.
Generally, I think members have made valuable contributions in this debate. I was just puzzled by the hon member from the DA. First and foremost, we are fighting crime, and we will continue to do that. Be it that we meet obstructionists on the way or not, we will continue. However, I'm not so worried about what you said or how you said it. I'm more worried, hon member, about knowing at some point what your thoughts are in the fight against crime because you just read somebody else's speech. That was hon Kohler-Barnard's speech. [Interjections.]
Now, whether you are able to process a thought from your point of view or not, I don't know. You still have to prove yourself. [Interjections.] I don't think I would want to waste my time by responding to what you are saying. I responded already so I'm not going to repeat myself. I just hope one day you will develop the capacity to put across your views.
Order! Minister ...
Chair, on a point of order: Could you please request the hon Minister to direct his comments through you?
As I say, I really wouldn't want to waste my time. I would do that as and when, Chairperson, a member prepares something and I realise that that particular member is his own man; that he is able to produce, think and say whatever he feels. Through you, Chair, can we have the question. What is the question? [Laughter.]
Minister, my question is: Given the fact that the output that we are getting from the police today is because of the input which is vested in the police, is the relationship between the police and the committee not because you are nonresponsive on the issue of "shoot to kill"?
Hey, very good!
Well, thank you. I think I can respond to that because I think we should help the member to understand what we say - not what the media says - so that in future when he talks, he moves from that premise.
I have said, and I'm saying it again today, that in our society or in our midst there are dangerous criminals who are armed to the teeth, who plan properly with military precision whenever they are going to engage either in bank robberies or cash-in-transit heists. And I have said to the police that when they are faced with that kind of situation, where there are people with fire power, they must respond to fire with fire. You must know the real thing; this is the real thing.
What the media and everybody else are saying, and so on - that's not my baby. [Interjections.] All I can tell you is that we have been able to reduce the cash-in-transit heists; we have been able to reduce bank robberies, and so on. That's the clarity.
At least you are asking a question that is out there and which everybody is talking about. It's a distortion from the media; that's what we have said. Okay, my brother, hon member. Thank you very much, Chair. [Applause.]
Order, hon members! Minister, we would like to thank you again for coming to this House and for responding so well.
Debate concluded.