Republic Of South Africa at the South African Police Service (SAPS)/Sanlam
Management Development Programme for women 2007
21 August 2007
Salutations
Programme Director
Deputy Safety and Security Minister, Susan Shabangu
First Lady Mrs Zanele Mbeki
Western Cape Premier, Mr Ebrahim Rasool
National Commissioner of the SAPS, Mr Jackie Selebi
Deputy National Commissioner, Dr Mala Singh
Minister of Community Safety, Mr Leonard Ramatlakane
Distinguished guests
Graduates of the SAPS/Sanlam Women's Development Programme,
Members of the SAPS
Ladies and gentlemen
Introduction
August is celebrated as Women's Month by government and all sectors of our
society. The month of August means we should take time and dedicate our
energies to honouring the strength and courage of our women who are mothers,
sisters and daughters as well as professionals, like you, care givers and
policy makers.
Since the birth of our Constitutional Democracy in 1994, our government has
prioritised women's empowerment and gender equality. Government has passed a
number of laws to create a better life for all women. These laws include the
Domestic Violence Act of 1998, the Maintenance Act of 1998 and the Employment
Equity Act of 1998 and a Constitution that is emphatic on the emancipation of
women and gender equality. That is why today I proudly stand here to salute you
as women leaders in our security forces.
It is government's belief that by empowering women we contribute to
empowering our families, our communities and South Africa. Government is
committed to emancipate women from a status of marginalisation, exclusion and
subordination. Ensuring the rights of women is ensuring basic human rights for
all. As government we also realise that education is key to the upliftment of
women. In fact, it is the most sustainable empowerment of women.
I am pleased to attend this graduation ceremony, as this SAPS/Sanlam
management Development Programme for women seeks to affirm and create a new
calibre of leadership in the SAPS. We expect you to lead by example and good
deeds that must impress your peers and make those of your peers who fail
society to re-commit to noble values of the SAPS.
As government we recognise that crime remains a big challenge and that we
require all sectors of society to assist in fighting this scourge. We can and
you can do more, you can do much better and we can all do better in the fight
against crime. This unity of purpose is commendable and augurs well for the
unity and determination needed to pull our country back from those who seek to
drag it to a wrong path.
Today, we have gathered to congratulate the graduates who have completed the
SAPS/Sanlam Women's Development Programme. We also congratulate the leadership
of the SAPS, Sanlam, the University of Stellenbosch and Business against Crime
for working together to produce this innovative programme, which is the first
of its kind.
What the course entailed
Ladies and gentlemen, I understand that, among the courses, the police
officers have focused on personal management skills, general management,
financial management and budget analysis and strategic management and creative
problem-solving. This academic aspect of the development programme was provided
by the School of Public Management and Planning (SOPMP), at the University of
Stellenbosch.
In addition, the graduates had internal mentors within the SAPS who were
responsible for coaching and mentoring them within the organisation. The
internal mentors focused on creating favourable working conditions and on
career-pathing inside the SAPS.
Business Against Crime identified successful business women in the corporate
world, who acted as external mentors to the graduates. These external mentors
gave graduates a glimpse of the business world, which included meetings and
relating to a number of different work situations and different people. I again
welcome this approach that ensures the police women have a greater outlook to
leadership beyond the outlook of the service. I also believe in the value of
mentorship. You must as, senior police service members, mentor the younger
members.
Programme Director, due to the high incidences of domestic and sexual
violence against women and children, we need to continue to sensitise members
of the SAPS about these social crimes. For example, we need to continuously
reassess how we can improve the treatment rape survivors receive at police
stations. Is there anything more we can do to make rape survivors more
comfortable and can we improve the process around the reporting of a sexual
assault?
The principles of Batho Pele (People First) need to find expression in the
way we treat the most vulnerable of our citizens. Our success as a democracy
depends on how our old, young, sick and disabled are treated. Right now, we
have to admit, we need to do more there. You, as the police service; men and
women, must improve how you treat victims of violence and better the success
rates on cases brought to your attention.
I would like to encourage the SAPS leadership to strengthen projects and
programmes, which sensitise police officers on how to garner support from the
community in dealing with issues of domestic violence, rape, sexual assault and
child abuse. I think there is a big need for this. As a country we need to
respond on all fronts to the violence against women, children and other
citizens. Police alone cannot deal effectively with most of these social
contact crimes. We need families to take responsibility parents and the society
to work in support of the police.
Crime prevention
As much as the SAPS fight crime, their role is also to prevent crime through
education and information. This work needs to be given much greater priority.
The SAPS has been doing a lot of good work with the Community Policing Forums
around the country. Our big challenge is how we work with communities to keep
our young people out of jail.
National Youth Service (NYS) role in crime prevention
Our NYS aims to serve the needs of our country's young people. There is a
layer of youth who did not complete high school, who do not have marketable
skills, and who are not employed. We need to get these young people into
programmes that will infuse a civic education and will equip them with skills,
so that they can find jobs or start a small business. I want to request you to
familiarise yourselves with the NYS and to use it in the best interest of the
Policing objectives.
Big brother/Big Sister
We need more good men who will volunteer to work with the SAPS and community
forums, and who can act as mentors to young men who are at risk of following a
life of crime. Now more than ever, we need to tackle the social roots of crime.
Our country will then be on an even better path to shared economic and social
prosperity.
We also need you to protect our schools and to embrace and promote actively
the adopt-a-cop programme for schools. As more women take up senior positions
in the service, this should enrich the service, because when men and women work
together, society will work better. Women must bring their qualities or
resilience and compassion to the job and use them to enrich the service.
Conclusion
In conclusion, Programme Director, we need to once again congratulate our
graduates and wish them well in their careers in the SAPS. Sibheke lukhulu
kini. Sinithembile. Siyazidlangani! As a nation we salute the tireless work
members of the SAPS do to keep our communities safe. This is much appreciated.
Many of you so many times face danger even death in the line of duty and you
put the people first.
We welcome the role our partners have played in making the SAPS/Sanlam
Management Development Programme for Women 2007 a success. This country and
democracy cannot work without those these partnerships. We thank Sanlam, the
University of Stellenbosch and Business Against Crime for their support. We
congratulate the SAPS leadership for their vision in bringing this programme to
fruition and we thank the team who put it all together. I also want to thank
the Deputy Minister for her unfailing support to the SAPS and her efforts to
give encouragement.
I thank you.
Issued by: The Presidency
21 August 2007
Source: SAPA
