2006/07 presented by MEC Dina Pule
8 June 2006
Madame Speaker, Hon Mrs Phosa
Deputy Speaker, Hon BJ Nobunga
Premier of our Province, Hon TSP Makwetla
Members of the Executive Council
Members of the Provincial Legislature,
Member of the National Council of Provinces
Provincial Commissioner- SAPS OS Khumalo
Head of the Department, Ndabenhle Mkhize
Head of the ICD in Mpumalanga McKenzie Tsimane
The leadership of Organised Labour
Members of the Criminal Justice System Cluster
Traditional leaders
Learners from different schools in the Province
Comrades and friends,
Invited guests,
Madam Speaker, as we turn Mpumalanga into a policing model for the country,
thereby overcoming the seemingly insurmountable obstacles, the promise in the
Book of the Prophet Isaiah comes to mind when God said:
âVa ni khombo la va vulaka leswaku leswo biha
swi sasekile ni leswo saseka leswaku swi bihile,
la va e ndlaka munyama eku vonakala ni ku vonakala emunyama,
ni la vaâ vulaka swo bava leswaku swa nandziha ni leswo nandziha leswaku swa
bava.
Lava humesaka la va nga ni nandzu hi vuxisi,
va alela vululami eka lava nga riki na nandzu.
Woe unto those who call evil good
and good evil,
who put darkness for light
and light for darkness,
who put bitter for sweet
and sweet for bitter.
Who acquit the guilty for a bribe,
but deny justice to the innocent.â
Woe unto the senseless who transgress beyond bounds by brutally murdering
the peaceful, dependable and honest. They senselessly end lives of those on
whom families depend for their livelihood, leaving orphans to fend for
themselves.
Like the Prophet Isaiah we say woe unto those who call evil good and good
evil by seeing it fit to rob those who earn an honest living. They derive joy
from money draped in blood and tears.
Madam Speaker, this year marks the Centenary Celebration of the uprising by
Bhambatha ka Mancinza, Ingqungqulu eshaya amaphiko, we shall use the same
heroic spirit of Bhambatha to rise against criminals and criminality. Like the
students who rose in Soweto, 30 years ago shifting our struggle into another
gear, the safety and security machinery in Mpumalanga will also shift into
another gear in the struggle against crime.
With the revolutionary zeal that the women of this country showed when they
marched to the Union Buildings 50 years ago, the safety and security machinery
in Mpumalanga will overzealously deal with crimes against women and
children.
During this tenth anniversary of our Constitution we pay tribute to the
defenders of the Constitution, and applaud the role they have played to ensure
that conditions of peace prevail. We applaud the good work that our men and
women in blue continue to do on a daily basis and request their families and
communities to continue giving them the support they need for theirs is the
most important job.
Equally we pay tribute to the unsung heroes and heroines of our province,
who volunteer their time to assist in the policing of our Province as
reservists. These heroes and heroines unselfishly volunteer their time, give
their expertise without expecting to receive any payment in return, we applaud
their commitment to creating a safe and secure Mpumalanga. We call on our
communities to partner the police in the fight against crime.
We are committed to creating a culture of a learning organisation that
strives for continuous excellence, gaining from the lessons that our failures
and successes present. An organisation that is rooted amongst the people and
strives to meet their expectations.
Madam Speaker, notable changes are evident in the manner in which violent
crimes are handled in the Province, proudly we can say that it now takes us at
most 21 days to solve a violent crime. Suspects have been arrested in all major
robberies and heists in the Province.
Our people were able to celebrate the past festive season under conditions
of peace and security. Our festive season operations and campaigns managed to
bring contact crimes down by 4% thereby setting us on course to meet our
objective of decreasing contact crimes by 7-10% in the medium term. The festive
season plan, a two-pronged strategy that focused on police action and community
participation was implemented from October 2005 to January 2006. 9 540 arrests
were affected for all crime categories including a number of wanted suspects.
1614 maintenance dodgers were arrested under Operation Isondlo, 648 illegal
firearms and 2008 rounds of ammunition, as well as 250 stolen vehicles were
recovered. Madam Speaker, this is testimony that the people working side by
side with the police are the best formula to fight crime, strengthening our
belief in fighting crime through community participation.
The South African Police Serviceâs Womenâs Network in the true spirit of the
Sepedi idiom âMosadi o tshwara thipa ka bo galengâ has been on the forefront of
dealing with the social problems that we have.
The Womenâs Network is involved in a project of eradicating poverty by
distributing food parcels and clothing to the needy.
Madam Speaker, the reporting of crimes against women and children has
increased, however, some cases have not been reaching the courts, as they get
withdrawn on the way. We have therefore resolved that we will no longer accept
withdrawal of statements for these crimes, wherein the complainant no longer
wishes to continue, the state will take over the case and the complainant will
be subpoenaed to appear before the courts as a witness, failing which they may
face prosecution under the Criminal Procedure Act.
Madam Speaker, with a view to giving children a voice into our work we held
an Imbizo with children in the farming communities in Wonderfontein in the
Nkangala Region. Children expressed their views and shared their experiences
with government. The most important factor and feeling of this community is
that access to government services generally remains a challenge, and in
particular police services. We were also able to launch the Adopt-a-Cop
Programme at farm schools in the Gert Sibande Region. This exercise has
strengthened our resolve to interact more with the communities.
In the past financial year we indicated that transformation remains a âsine
qua nonâ in the South African Police Service (SAPS). By then we had 20 female
Station Commissioners in the Province, to date we have 36 female Station
Commissioners. These women are making a real difference, and they are amongst
the best performing managers. Madam Speaker, allow me to quote one of the
letters that we received in my office. Mafika Lubisi of Shongwe Mission writes
âWe at Driekoppies community are very pleased about the work that you and your
staff are doing at the station. The support you give to all those who are
working with the police in combating crime in Driekoppies is applauded. We are
really proud of station as we can see that you are doing your bestâ
We will continue to ensure that women Station Commissioners are appointed
and that equity at management level is balanced in line with governmentâs
commitment to gender equity.
In the 2005/06 financial year, we set ourselves a target of purchasing
approximately 379 police vehicles and the appointment of approximately 1028
additional officers. We are pleased to report to the house that 430 vehicles
were purchased and 1 398 officers were appointed.
This financial year we aim to purchase 460 vehicles, the bulk of which will
be at police stations, cries of the police not having transport to attend to
complaints is currently a thing of the past. An additional 968 officers will be
appointed this financial year
.
Madame Speaker, in the past financial year we said to this house that major
renovations are taking place at Lowâs Creek, Matsulu, Siyabuswa, Ngodwana,
Schoemansdal, Ekulindeni, Malelane and Graskop police stations amounting to
sixteen million two hundred and thirty eight thousand seven hundred and forty
four rands (R16 238 744.00), we are pleased to announce that these have been
completed. The building of what the Hon Premier TSP Makwetla calls an
âNkalakatha of a police stationâ in Pienaar and the police station in Hazyview
is on course and is to be completed in 2007.
In line with our strategy of building a people centrered police service,
communities of Mbuzini in Nkomazi Municipality and Wesselton in Msukaligwa
Municipality will also have interaction with the police in their backyards, as
we are planning to build police stations there.
Madam Speaker, we could not idly stand by and continue with our work as
usual when the young men of Kwaggafontein continue to lose their belongings at
gunpoint to criminals. We surely could not remain silent when the elderly women
of Siyathemba in Balfour remain at the mercy of a masked young man who
continuously violates them.
We could not idly stand by and continue with our work as usual, when young
officers who have just joined the service have to undertake the traumatic duty
of dealing with children who have been abused.
The young women of Vosman and Pienaar have cried out loudly requesting that
they also be able to move freely without fear of being violated. The peopleâs
cries of an uncaring police service that serves its needs have been heard and
we had to respond.
With the speed of a cheetah, we convened the Peopleâs War Council Against
Crime on the 11th of November 2005, wherein all major role players in safety
and security participated.
With the meticulous planning of the lioness as it plots the downfall of its
prey we looked at what needs to be done. With the excellent memory and might
that the elephant is known for, we had to ensure that no criminal escapes
prosecution.
Madam Speaker, Africa as a continent evokes passion and inspiration. During
this age of hope and this century of Africaâs renewal, we were inspired by
Africaâs resilient spirit.
We therefore adopted the Africa Concept to turn Mpumalanga into a policing
model for the country whose main focus areas are:
* adopting an integrated approach towards service delivery
interventions
* developing and implementing a people/community- centrered policing
approach
* optimising systems utilization
* optimising the Performance Management System
* enhancing the transformation process to impact positively on service
delivery
* developing and implementing a marketing strategy
* introducing basic policing principles.
As honourable members would know by now, the Area Offices are to be phased
out, the Provincial Office trimmed down and all the members will be deployed at
police stations thus enhancing the capacity of police stations to fight crime.
New structures will be created with stations grouped into zones, with a zone
commander whose sole responsibility is to co-ordinate crime combating
operations in the zone. More responsibility will be delegated to the Station
Commissioners. At station level Crime Offices, which will be manned by
detectives are to be established. Detectives will now be part of the Community
Service Centres and cases will be attended to as they are reported. The
restructuring will impact positively on service delivery and will ensure that
basic policing takes place thus normalising the situation.
Priorities for 2006/7
South African Police Service (SAPS)
Make Somlomo, kube netehlakalo lapho bantfu lebebagadvwe ngemaphoyisa
etiteshini baphumelele kubaleka. Tinyenti tintfo letabangela lokubaleka,
lekufaka ekhatsi kunganaki kwalamanye emalunga etfu noma kwabengelwa simo
lesingasikahle saletinye tindlu tekugcina baboshwa.
Sekunamagadango athethweko ukurarulula umraro lo. Lakufuneka khona
sizokwenza kabusha indrawo zokuvalela imboshwa. Sekujanyiswe nehlelo lokuvikela
ukubaleka kweemboshwa, amapholisa ayayeleliswa ukuthi yini ebonyana bayenze.
Labo abatholakele baberege budedengu bazakujeziswa, begodu namagadango
wezomthetho athathwe.
Mama UsoMlomo,kuzomiswa uphiko oluyisipesheli oluzophenya futhi lilandele
labo abeqe konondlwana bamaphoyisa. Futhi kuzobuye kumiswe kabusha ithimba
eliphenya ngenkohlakalo ngaphakathi kwabakasidlodlo, loluphiko kumele likwazi
ukumelana nesimo esishintshayo sokusebenza kwamaphoyisa.
Madam Speaker, there have been instances where in prisonerâs in police
custody have been able to escape. A combination of factors led to this escapes,
including, among others, negligence on the part of our members and the poor
state of some of our police cells.
Steps have been taken to deal with the problem. Where necessary renovations
are being undertaken. A project to prevent escapes has been launched and is in
operation. Where necessary disciplinary steps are to be taken against those
found guilty of negligence. Criminal charges of defeating the ends of justice
will be instituted in other instances.
Plans are underway to establish a Provincial Tracing Team that will focus on
escaped prisoners. The current Anti Corruption Unit is being re-established
into a vibrant unit that will be able to meet the rigours of the current
policing environment.
Crimes against women and children
Madame Speaker, crimes against women and children are a priority area as
stated in the Africa Concept document. As indicated above, the rate of
detection of these cases will be improved by 40% and cases that are sent to
court will be increased by 30%. We had declared and undertook not to allow
victims to withdraw their statements or cases during the previous financial
year, likewise the Director of Public Prosecutions announced that they also
would no longer allow withdrawals. We are confident that this will lessen the
victimisation cycle.
We also implemented Operation Basadi in Masoyi on 4 December 2005 with the
Deputy Minister for Safety and Security, the Honourable Susan Shabangu.
Operation Basadi is aimed at arresting suspects who have committed crimes
against women and children. Maintenance dodgers would also be targeted under
Operation Isondlo. This operation focuses on those who default on maintenance
and are not responsible enough to pay for the up-keep of their children.
Against Crime Together
The problem of missing children and the deafening silence that accompany
crimes against children cannot go unchallenged. In this regard together with
the Ministry of Safety and Security we will be undertaking a massive awareness
and communications campaign, drumming into the hearts and minds of our people
that:
* we can no longer afford to have our children living in the streets;
* we can no longer tolerate not responding when crimes are committed against
our children.
Organised crime
Madam Speaker, the two-pronged strategy of dealing with organised crime,
which had its basis on the disruption of these criminal organisations and
heightened intelligence gathering, has notched notable successes. Six Chinese
nationals were arrested in Machadodorp recently; drug-manufacturing chemicals
and drugs with a street value of R 18 million and a farm that has been used to
manufacture drugs were confiscated.
Serious and violent crimes
Madam Speaker, serious and violent crimes will be tackled vigorously by
focusing on arrests and recovery of illegal firearms, drugs, stolen vehicles
and illegal goods.
Twenty suspects have been arrested for the three Casino robberies. Two
syndicates that have been robbing pension pay points have been identified,
their members are behind bars and since then there has been no robbery at
pension pay points.
The Independent Complaints Directorate (ICD)
Madam Speaker, as the police service is the only agency in the country with
the power to infringe on individual rights when the need arises, it is
important that it be kept in check given where we come from.
The Independent Complaints Directorate has a responsibility to investigate
instances of police misdemeanors and in this regard they have done their duty
with aplomb. The arrest of the KaBokweni detectives and the White River officer
who raped a complainant comes to mind.
In line with governmentâs strategy of bringing services closer to the people
the Independent Complaints Directorate, will be establishing satellite offices
in Ermelo at Gert Sibande Region and Siyabuswa at Nkangala Region.
Currently the Independent Complaints Directorate in Mpumalanga has four
investigators who are investigating 176 death cases, 399 serious offences, 497
service delivery cases, and 26 Domestic violence cases against members of the
SAPS in Mpumalanga.
Civilian Secretariat
Madam Speaker, one of the key roles of the Civilian Secretariat is to
monitor police conduct and the creation of a conducive environment for
policing.
In the past financial year we spoke of the need to respond to the cries of
the women of Tonga who face bashings in their own homes.
Madam Speaker, we are pleased to announce that we were able to hold a Domestic
Violence Summit, stemming from the summit we commissioned research into some
issues that were raised at the summit. Subsequently in the next two months we
will engage traditional leaders as they have a much bigger role to play. We
will also launch project "Hands Off our women and children" which aims to
mobilize community support to fight crimes against women and children and also
to strengthen support structures that deal with issues of domestic violence.
Pilot projects will run in the 14 priority stations of Vosman, Kwaggafontein,
Embalenhle, Masoyi, Nelspruit and KaNyamazane to name a few, where contact
crimes are highly prevalent.
Rural Safety
Out of the horrendous dream we have awoken into our age of hope and die dag
droom that Elisabeth Eybers spoke about:
Verby die aardse brood het ek gestaar, dwars deur die bome in die raam,
dwars deur die grys wolkeplafon, tot in die paradys waar alles lig en helder
is, soos Elisabeth Eybers sou sê.
Past the difficulty of the world I stared through the trees in the frames,
through the grey clouds, right into paradise where all is well and clear, as
Elisabeth Eybers would say.
We are pleased to announce that as promised, we held a Rural Safety Summit,
and now the Province has a Rural Safety Framework.
Madam Speaker, past the difficulty of the world we have stared and are now
concentrating on the arduous and challenging task of implementing the rural
safety framework.
The focus areas of the framework are as follows:
* Development
* Transformation
* Human rights
* Criminal justice system
* Communication
* Research
* Participatory structures
Municipalities, other government and non-government agencies will be engaged
in the implementation of the framework. The Rural Safety Summit culminated in
the reviewal of cases that have not been properly handled, as a result these
cases will be returned into the criminal justice system. Those who erred will
face the full might of the law. Rural insecurity has no place in this
Province.
Provincial Crime Prevention Framework (PCPF)
Our salvation from criminality lies in an integrated approach wherein each
one does their bit, leaving no space for criminals to operate.
To this end we are addressing the root causes of crime by dealing with these
factors that lead to crime.
In line with the integrated approach that is emphasised by the Provincial
Crime Prevention Framework, we are moving from being events driven to an
integrated project approach with an emphasis on development and poverty
eradication.
The Provincial Crime Prevention Framework will be a cornerstone of our work
this financial year. We will focus on its operationalisation and its aggressive
marketing. Various Projects are to be implemented including:
Safer schools
Madam Speaker, incidences that do not belong in the school environment have
been happening in schools. We have seen learners stabbing other learners and we
have also seen incidences where teachers have been threatened with firearms. In
conjunction with the Department of Education and the School Governing Bodies we
will establish School Safety Committees. We will also strengthen the
Adopt-a-Cop Programme and campaigns against drug abuse in schools. In the past
financial year we held a successful campaign in Mhluzi in conjunction with the
Department of Health and Social Services.
Taverns/ Shebeens Project
Most of the crimes that are committed emanate from shebeens and taverns,
ranging from rape to underage drinking. Although some of these outlets might be
licensed but in most cases, they do not adhere to their licensing conditions.
The police do their bit by raiding these taverns, however, the problem will
only be solved through community involvement. Shebeen owners will be engaged
and recruited into both the community policing forums and the sector crime
forums.
Youth Volunteers
As part of recognising the heroic role that the youth played in our
struggle, and as part of celebrating the Soweto Uprisings we will mobilise the
youth to act as security volunteers this financial year during the festive
season and during certain peak periods. These volunteers will be placed at
strategic points in areas of need. A pilot project will be established in
Nelspruit to enhance the policing activities. In order for us to ensure that
the people who serve in our police service are of the right calibre, we will be
going on recruitment campaigns at schools, thus exposing learners to careers in
the South African Police Service.
Border security
Madam Speaker, we have realised that the mobilisation of communities living
along the borderlines to participate in border security is not enough. We
commissioned an integrated research into the effectiveness of our border
policing. Among others, the research found glaring weaknesses in the manner in
which border policing is done, and agencies are working in silos with no
effective interdepartmental integration.
All weaknesses identified through research will be addressed, among others;
all police officers placed at the borders will undergo the Basic Port of Entry
Course.
We will engage our counterparts in Swaziland and Mozambique to assist in
curbing cross-border crimes; equally we will engage the leadership of the other
agencies at the border.
Mechanisms that are aimed at active participation of these communities in
the fight against cross border crimes will be put in place.
Municipal Safety Plans
In an effort to make Local Government work better for the people we will
partner with Municipalities and assist them in the development of Municipal
Safety Plans, which will be located at Ward level.
We have established the Thusano Integrated Policing Approach Model, which
brings in municipal law enforcement agencies into the main stream of crime
prevention. A pilot project has been launched and is running in the Emalahleni
Municipal Area. It is envisaged that the project will be rolled out to all
municipal areas of the Province.
Though there were multi-agency mechanism structures that were established in
the Presidential priority police station of KaNyamazane and the Provincial
priority police stations of Vosman and Embalenhle, these structures have not
born any fruit, however lessons were learnt from the exercise.
In the current financial year, we will resuscitate Project Sebataladi in
Vosman and implement a joint justice crime prevention initiative in
KaNyamazane. We will also be improving the manner in which we work in the
priority stations thereby ensuring that we respond to the needs of the
people.
We are working towards ensuring that crime is stabilised in the priority
stations. We cannot rest for as long as there are police stations that are
experiencing unacceptable crime rates.
As we monitored and evaluated police stations using the monitoring and
evaluation tool, a need to have a monitoring and evaluation policy arose.
We will within this financial year draw up a monitoring and evaluation policy,
which will ensure that we are able to meet the required legislative
standard.
The MECâs Excellence Awards for best police stations in the Province will
also be overhauled by adding more categories including, among others, the Best
Community Policing Forum. The role that communities play in crime prevention
will now be recognised.
Madam Speaker, the Civilian Secretariat, like its sister divisions the South
African Police Service and the Independent Complaints Directorate will undergo
a level of restructuring. We are moving towards the decentralisation of our
operations to the regions, closer to where the people are, in line with
governmentâs service delivery improvement strategy.
We have struggled with our employment equity in the past, with no women
representation at senior management level. We are pleased to announce that we
have since moved from zero to thirty three percent. Madam Speaker, let me
introduce to the house these female representatives of our management, the
Chief Director Operations and the Director Legal and Labour Services. We are
committed to the creation of a just and equitable work environment, therefore,
we are striving for a fifty percent female representation in senior management
by the end of 2009 in line with governmentâs commitment of reaching such
representation.
Madam Speaker, we are also mindful of the need to take care of the wellness
of our employees. We will ensure that the department has a well-structured
Employee Assistance Programme that responds to the needs of our employees.
Madam Speaker, we have seen the need to extend the scope of our strategic
security issues. An effort will be made to better the coordination of security
in the Provincial Government. To this respect we will engage departments with a
view to respond to the challenge that security poses. We will strengthen the
interaction and partnerships between the Provincial Government and other
security agencies nationally. A security strategy for the Province will also be
formulated in due course.
We have struggled to get enterprises in the rural areas into our supply
chain database; equally we have not been able to effectively source goods and
services from enterprises managed by people with disabilities. Within the next
three months we will physically locate these enterprises and make sure that
they are part of our database, as they also must enjoy the fruits of our
freedom.
Proposed budget allocation for 2006/2007
The proposed budget allocation for the financial year 2006 / 2007 to the
Department of Safety and Security is forty one million seven hundred and twenty
four thousand rands, (R41 724 000.00). The budget will assist us in advancing
our vision of turning Mpumalanga into a policing model for the country, thereby
overcoming insurmountable obstacles.
The budget will cover the following programmes:
Programme 1: Administration
Administration includes the Office of the Member of the Executive Council
(MEC), the Head of Department (HOD), and Office of the Chief Financial Officer,
Human Resources, Communications and Legal Services.
The programme will be allocated twenty three million (R23 953 000.00).
Programme 2: Social Crime Prevention
This component is responsible for implementing the Social Crime Prevention
Programmes of the department.
The programme will be allocated (R11 774 000.00).
Programme 3: Security Services
This programme will be allocated R3191 000.00, which will be utilised to
monitor the security services provided by private security service providers on
behalf of other Provincial Government Departments, and to strengthen strategic
security co-ordination.
Programme 4: Monitoring and Evaluation
The programme for Monitoring and Evaluation will be allocated R3 594
000.00.
The programme will be responsible for monitoring and evaluating the
effectiveness and efficiency of the police service in Mpumalanga.
Madam Speaker, having outlined the proposed budget allocations for our
programmes, we request the house to consider the approval of this budget
Conclusion
Madam Speaker, a drum beats on the horizon of the mountains of Graskop, its
echo reverberates deep into the rivers of Nkomazi, up the waterfalls of the
Waterval Boven, into the heart of the Mkhombo Dam and the grasslands of Secunda
calling all to participate in the fight against crime and dance to the
celebration of the decrease of crime. All are called to drum in unison with the
Department of Safety and Security so that the sound can heal the wounded of our
Province.
Madam Speaker, allow me to thank our traditional leaders for the role they
play in the lives of our rural communities, our business leaders for their
continued support in the fight against crime. The religious leaders who
continue to guide our people towards spiritual reawakening for their continued
efforts towards the regeneration of the morals of our society.
Memoriam
Madame Speaker, let me pay tribute to the brave who laid their lives in the
line of duty. Superintendent Meshack Cols Mohlala who used to be with crime
intelligence here in Ehlanzeni, the Director Masakale Chali who used to be the
Provincial Head of Crime Prevention, Inspector Gumede of Mhluzi who died as he
tried to protect a victim of domestic violence, Constable Thabo Nkosi of
Schoemansdal, and many others whose names I cannot mention but whose lives we
commemorated during the Provincial Police Day in Secunda recently.
Madame Speaker, we remember two special young women who lost their lives in
the line of their fatherâs duty who is a police officer. Patricia and Fikile
Mokomeni lost their lives returning from a door-to-door campaign during the
sixteen days of no violence against women and children.
Honourable Speaker, I would like to extend my appreciation to Members of
this House for their oversight role, my colleagues in the Executive Council for
your positive engagement on the issues of safety and security in the Province,
the Portfolio Committee under the able leadership of the Chairperson,
Honourable DS Mkhwanazi.
The Provincial Commissioner Afrika Khumalo, his Deputies and support staff,
the HOD, Mr Ndaba Mkhize, his support staff and all the staff within the
department working towards service delivery to improve the lives of all, thus
turning Mpumalanga into a policing model for the country, overcoming the
seemingly insurmountable obstacles.
We also want to thank sister departments working in unison with the
Department of Safety and Security. Lastly my family, especially my children
Zandile, Ofentse and Kateko, who have to endure long hours without their
mother.
I thank you.
Issued by: Department of Safety and Security, Mpumalanga Provincial
Government
8 June 2006
