Thank you hon Michalakis for assisting in that regard. Hon Minister?
IsiZulu:
UNGQONGQOSHE WEZAMAPHOYISA: Hhayi! Uqinisile ngempela ukuthi sikhuluma izilimi eziningi eNingizimu Afrika.
English:
I take your point where you said that the murder rate is too high and unacceptable; I have no doubt about that. Since we started talking here, that is a point you and I agree on. It is so, trust
me. It is on that score that we are working hard, including the revival of the special units that were spoken about - that were revived by the appointment of Lieutenant-General Mkhwanazi who is working on those murders, including the gangsters. If we can halve the murders in the Western Cape, then we can begin to look better in terms of reducing murders around the country.
With regard to farm murders - minus the zamazamas that are doing their nonsense there, but gangsterism in the Western Cape is worse when compared to those murders. It is on that score that this clarion call of working together here will have to be heeded by all of us, I am just maybe avoiding politics and really stop going around singing about these matters. Let me tell you one thing that is sometimes a big issue in politics - one TV station has invited the Minister of Police for an interview in the place called Ponte City. They made this issue a case study and said that they have brought patrollers to the building and crime has gone down. Instead of coming to us because there are many areas where we brought crime under control, that TV station consent with the people who said they brought crime under control in that building.
One of those areas here in Western Cape is a place called Uitzicht. In Uitzicht, kids can now go out and play. We have met parents who
say that they can now at least send their kids to shops after six in the evening. So, we shouldn't really make this thing a competition where one win and get a trophy out of it. We must work together to reduce these murders and these rapes.
It is a challenge, that is why the clarion call says we should stop politicking and start working together - that is why I believe that with MEC Fritz we are working together. I believe this is the only province where we made efforts by calling a big crime imbizo and many other departments. The premier was there, the Minister of State Intelligence was there, the Minister of Police and the Minister of Social Development were also there. We sat down in Paarl and spoke about how to deal with crime in the Western Cape in particular, and also in the nation. So, that clarion call stands for all of us to make contributions to ensure that the people of South Africa feel safe.
Xitsonga: