Programme Director,
MEC for Community Safety, Mr Plato,
Provincial Commissioner, Lt. Gen Lamoer,
All Deputy National Commissioners present;
Deputy Chairperson of South African Human Rights Commission,
Ms Govender,
Director of United Nations (UN) Regional Office for Africa, Axumite Gebrer-Egziabher,
President of ICPC, Ms Bernier,
All delegates representing South Africa, Nigeria, Jamaica, Norway, India,
Brazil, Canada, USA, Belgium, France, Australia, Switzerland, Germany,
Burkina Faso, Italy,
All delegates representing the African Union & UN,
All delegates representing the World Bank & SABRIC
All NGOs, CBOs, NPOs, present,
All delegates representing higher learning institutions,
All dignitaries,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
On behalf of the South African Government, we are saying proudly, namkelekile eMzantsi Afrika. Indeed, a very warm welcome, distinguished guests and delegates to the 10th International Centre for the Prevention of Crime (ICPC) Colloquium.
I am told this is the second time the ICPC Colloquium is being held in South Africa, having its first in November 2003, in Pretoria. Notwithstanding, we will still say that, tongue-in-cheek, that South Africa is well overdue for a gathering of this nature.
For, the South African Government, led by the African National Congress, since taking over in 1994 to lead the democratic South Africa, has always prioritised combating and prevention crime of all types in South Africa.
Of-course, we would be failing if our Government does not acknowledge the pivotal role that the ICPC played in the initial drafting and development of crime prevention policies of our country.
We will always be very grateful to the ICPC for providing technical assistance to the drafting team of the South African National Crime Prevention Strategy (NCPS) of 1996, and our White Paper on Safety and Security in 1998.
Indeed, the mere fact that our South African Police Service is one of the 8-member states in the Advisory and Policy Committee (APC) of the ICPC, is a clear resolve that the South African Government is continuously committing herself to being one of the global collective player to better the livelihoods of all disadvantaged people, especially in our African continent.
We are thus saying as the Government, and as the South African Police Service, South Africa is a very correct option for this year’s 10th Colloquium of the ICPC. I am saying this, because we are gathering year at the recent backdrop of our State of the Nation Address, as led by our President, His Excellency Jacob Zuma.
In his 2012 State of the Nation Address and subsequent response, President Zuma, unapologetically, and correctly so, promised that our Government will never become complacent and arrogant about the major successes we have had in the past financial years 2010/11 and 2011/12 in the fight against crime.
This means our strategies and programmes in the fight and prevention of crime are working. We have indeed made great progress through our Programmes of Operation Duty Calls National Festive Season Crime-Fighting Campaigns.
Our Government Cluster Strategy, the Justice Crime Prevention and Security Cluster (JCPS) only yesterday briefed the media on the strides that this country has made in the fight against crime. For instance, levels of serious and contact crimes have been reduced by 5%.
Our Criminal Justice System (CJS) has established Delivery Forums in all levels of Government so as to manage the case flow in a standardised and normative way.
Our management of points of entry into the country is vastly improving, through an Automated Cargo Management system, where data integrity and compliance through registration is being enforced for all rail, road, air and sea cargo operators. We have also established an integrated Border Management Agency, where our borderline security is comprised of defence, police, home affairs and international relations.
Levels of corruption in Government will further be reduced through a Multi-Agency Working Group, led by National Treasury, SARS and the Financial Intelligence Centre, where supply chain management will be vetted; where financial resources and disclosures will be better managed.
And, most importantly, a new Corruption Watch established by Labour, has been welcome by Government, and, as Government, we have committed to work collectively with Labour and Civil Society to root out the scourge of corruption.
All of the above-mentioned achievements by our Government are indeed welcome by Government, Community, Labour and Business. But, as Government, we will be the first to acknowledge that, it is still not enough.
Corrupt activities within and external of the JCPS cluster are still unacceptable rife. We are still faced with a challenge of non-accounted sexual offences, gender-based crimes, and hate crimes trends, as informed by factual statistics. Also, organised crime is becoming very sophisticated through the use of cyber space.
Unemployment, poverty and inequality has been identified by our President as a persisting triple-challenge that we as Government need to quickly overcome, as the majority of the people in this country: African, women and youth, continue to suffer from this triple-challenge.
This colloquium then becomes an opportunity to bring our collective expertise and experience to bear on these six challenges (corruption; sexual offences; cyber crime; unemployment; poverty; and inequality) I have just mentioned.
My key message to you tonight is that, these six challenges are risk factors on the necessary impact or success to prevent crime all together. The theme of this 10th Colloquium of the ICPC: "Filling the gaps: integrated approaches to crime prevention", therefore becomes very important and very timely for us as Government, and for all of us here, as global citizens of the world.
We must recognise that crime prevention will never be achieved if we do not coordinate and integrate our efforts in an honest and transparent manner; if we do not innovate our approaches by reviewing what is no longer working for our people’s development.
And, ultimately, we might not achieve our goal of crime prevention, if this 10th Colloquium does not recognise that: it is one thing to support a cause of crime prevention through development of strategies, data, and reports, but a totally different agenda to change societal, government and individual behavior in pursuit of that cause.
These are what I consider as the "gaps" to be filled. As Government of South Africa, we anticipate that you will consider discussing them, in addition to Colloquium’s seven themes, in more detail over the coming two days.
On our part as Government of South Africa, we are also filling a policy gap, by reviewing our White Paper on Safety and Security, so that we can fulfill and implement the Constitutional imperative of a Single Police Service.
As ANC-led Government, we want to see a transformed police service across the country, with the same principles, values and standards.
But, contrary to doomsayers and detractors, the review of the White Paper is not about threatening or abolishing any institution, as they allege.
It is solely about creating an effective and efficient Justice Crime Prevention and Security Cluster, so as to full the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa that says: "national security must reflect the resolve of South Africans, as individuals and as a nation, to live in peace and harmony, be free from fear and want and to seek a better life" (Chapter 11)
Distinguished guests and delegates, I strongly believe that this 10th Colloquium also comes at a critical time, when the United Nations will be holding and hosting its 56th Session of the UN Commission on the Status of Women (UN SCW).
So, this platform must be an opportunity for effective articulation against gender-based violence and hate crimes. It must be a space for sharing ideas on how to mainstream issues of economic growth, job creation and equality in the fight and prevention of crime.
As we again welcome you to South Africa, please let this 10th Colloquium challenge and inspire you into action. On behalf of the Government of South Africa, I wish you well in your deliberations.
I thank you all.
The 10th International Centre for the Prevention of Crime (ICPC) Colloquium: Woodstock, Welcoming Remarks by The Deputy Minister of Police, MS MM SOTYU (MP), Gauteng 22 February 2012
