the opening of the Provincial Crime Summit held in Durban
21 May 2007
There are few subjects which evoke more public interest, generate more reels
of paper and take as much radio airtime as the issue of crime. There are few
public and privately held debates which evoke more sustained interest than
those which provide the opportunity to express their anger around crime.
For this reason in the State of the Province Address we called for this
Crime Summit. This is because we want to develop a fuller understanding of the
trajectory, which an act of crime takes from commission to conviction. It is
our view that we must develop a full understanding of this scourge of crime and
its full genesis and appreciate the socio-economic environment in which it
thrives.
In the State of the Province Address we said and I quote: "We will convene a
Provincial Summit on Crime. This Summit will encompass the participation of all
role-players and stakeholders including the South African Police Service,
Safety and Security, business and justice. The Summit will create conditions
for a seamless criminal justice system plan to combat crime."
In a report called "Crime in South Africa: A country and cities profile"
written by Martin Schonteich and Antoinette Louw of the Institute of Security
Studies (ISS), violence is cited as one of the key distinguishing features of
crime in South Africa. For instance, robbery has at times been higher in
Australia, but rape or murder (both violent crimes), would be comparably higher
in South Africa. The two researchers argue that a multitude of apartheid and
Draconian internal security laws were placed on the South African statute books
between the mid-1950s and late-1980s.
It is possible that as the legitimacy of the apartheid government declined,
and opposition to its policies intensified, the distinction between political
and criminal behaviour became blurred. The ISS also argues that violent crimes
were often seen and justified by their perpetrators as a legitimate defence
against political opponents and enemies. Some explanations suggest that
families suffered from 'institutional violence' for decades through the
disruption of their lives by mass removals and migrant labour policies of
apartheid. High levels of gang activity and the availability of firearms are
also mainly evident in urban areas and are known to be a key contributor to
violent crime and armed robbery.
During the State of the Province Address earlier this year we noted that
KwaZulu-Natal had moved a long way to create a peaceful province. We have now
dealt away with political violence. As we have moved away from this violence we
find that we are now challenged by crimes against the person and crimes against
property.
It remains a sad reality of our present that our people today are being
killed for their credit cards. They are being killed for their bank cards and
they are being killed for their cellphones. Any level of crime is unacceptable.
It does not matter whether it is violent or non-violent, a crime is a crime is
a crime.
It however does not help to adopt an attitude of helplessness against
criminals. We can beat them. This we can do if we work together in partnership.
We know crime can be beaten because last year KwaZulu-Natal had the highest
incidence of cash-in-transit heists. Excellent work by the South African Police
Services (SAPS) in this province has practically dealt away with this
phenomenon. Following the arrest of members of the syndicate we can now say we
have a dramatic drop in cash heists.
The SAPS has also dealt with drug syndicates as well as tracked down some of
the most wanted criminals in the country. Under 50 000 illegal arms have been
confiscated which no doubt will help us decrease crime.
Crime against property and persons however remains a problem. This we are
setting deliberate steps to deal with. To win the war against crime requires a
change of culture and behaviour among our people. We believe we will never beat
crime as government if we act alone. Acting alone as the criminal justice
system, it is impossible to win the battle against crime. Acting alone as the
communities, it is impossible to beat crime forever. Acting alone as business
we will fail against criminals.
So it is the community that creates a market for stolen goods. It is the
mothers, fathers, brothers and sisters who turn a blind eye to the criminal
acts of some in our families. Criminals come from our own communities, from our
families and they form part of our circles of friends and acquaintances.
Families must become units of behavioural excellence where respect, dignity,
trust and love are taught like a religion. We want to reiterate that there will
be no place to hide for criminals.
We must remove all the conditions which allow criminals to get away with
murder. In this regard we have called for a Popular Front Against Crime.
Members of the community will be our greatest asset in this fight. This is
because members of the community know many of the people who sell stolen
television sets and cellphones in the townships, villages and suburbs of our
province. Communities must cease to serve as storage facilities for stolen
goods. Those who steal somewhere else and try to sell to any one of us must be
isolated from our communities.
Residents of Chesterville for example are in a position to tell which of
their sons has suddenly changed their lifestyle, when in fact he is unemployed.
When he is seen driving flashy cars, dressed in the latest fashions and
carrying lots of cash the people of that township are in a position to tell the
difference. We are therefore calling on the community to work with us in the
creation of crime free zones where no stolen goods are sold and bought, and
where stolen cars are not sold at all.
It is therefore appropriate that the theme of this summit is: "An
integrated, multi-disciplined approach to the fight against crime." Through the
summit we hope to solidify existing collaborations with all our partners and
ensure that all stakeholders play their critical role in the fight against
crime. In this way we will edge closer to our vision of delivering a truly
seamless criminal justice system.
We are encouraged that as a commitment to this partnership, business,
through Business Against Crime (BAC) supports government as consultants and
facilitators. BAC has done this through:
* developing public private partnerships
* supporting a mutually agreed vision
* influencing strategy and policy
* transferring business skills to Government
* driving working solutions that deliver results.
In 2005 we saw the launch of the first Specialised Commercial crime Court in
KwaZulu-Natal. Owing to the intervention of the Specialised Commercial Crime
Courts BAC reports a conviction rate of close to 99%. The role of BAC has
extended to the improvement of human resource capacity and specialised skills
to the Criminal Justice System through targeted training and mentorship
programmes.
BAC has also identified Youth as important players in our fight against
crime through retarding criminal behaviour among them and changing perceptions
towards crime. The Tiisa Thuto (Sesotho word meaning strengthening education)
aims to inculcate a positive value system among members of the school community
as a way of fighting crime. The programme aims to create an environment
conducive for effective teaching and learning and seeks to reduce acts of
anti-social, criminal and abusive behaviour.
Through the Department of Community Safety and Liaison, under the leadership
of MEC Bheki Cele, as a province we have agreed to work hard to achieve broadly
speaking the following among others in the area of crime:
* successfully co-ordinating the implementation of a Provincial Crime
Prevention Strategy with a clear responsibility matrix, feedback mechanisms and
time span
* launch a Provincial Joint Crime Prevention System and Cluster
* create a transparent crime prevention environment through stakeholders
accounting on the programmes and action plans
* ensure a broad partnership between all stakeholders including inter-sector
collaboration.
We hope the achievement of these objectives will enable all our communities
to see that the government is serious about fighting crime and making
KwaZulu-Natal safe. This is because we still see government as the primary
agent responsible for ensuring that the conditions are created for a more
secure KwaZulu-Natal. We are not shirking from our responsibility to provide a
safe and secure environment for our people.
Victory against criminals is non-negotiable. We have fought for so long, to
secure this freedom we enjoy today. We cannot allow criminals to undermine the
struggle of the broader liberation movement we cannot allow criminals to
undermine our plans for the economic development of KwaZulu-Natal. We cannot
allow criminals to reverse the gains of 1994.
Let us isolate and undermine them, wherever they are. Together in
partnership we will emerge the only victors. I wish you well in deliberations
over the next few days.
Masisukume Sakhe iKwaZulu-Natal.
I thank you!
Issued by: Office of the Premier, KwaZulu-Natal Provincial Government
21 May 2007
Source: SAPA
