President Thabo Mbeki and Religious Leaders
20 November 2006
President Thabo Mbeki, several government ministers, deputy ministers and
senior government officials met religious leaders at the Union Buildings, City
of Tshwane, today. The meeting was convened at the request of religious leaders
to discuss the issues of crime and violence in society.
The meeting noted that while progress has been made in the fight against
crime over the years, there was mutual concern about levels of crime in general
and violent crime in particular.
It was in principle agreed that there is a need for a national partnership
bringing together all sectors of society to wage a concerted campaign against
crime. The primary theatre of this partnership should be at the local level and
must cover areas such as strengthening Community Policing Forums and general
community and stakeholder co-operation with local police stations.
For their part, the religious leaders pledged to continue to work within
communities to strengthen the fight against crime in their places of worship,
and elsewhere in society. This also involves addressing perceptions about
incidents of crime in the country, lest we run the risk of losing what we have
gained as a society.
In the light of concerns raised by the religious leaders regarding
allegations levelled against the National Police Commissioner, the President
assured the religious leaders that information at his disposal does not justify
action against the National Police Commissioner and requested them to trust his
commitment to upholding the Constitution of the Republic as well as the safety
and security of all South Africans.
The Justice and Crime Prevention Cluster and the religious leaders will
further engage on practical steps of the principal agreements reached.
Religious leaders expressed their appreciation of the President�s time and
preparedness to meet with them.
For more information, please contact:
Mukoni Ratshitanga
Tel: (012) 300 5436
Cell: 082 300 3447
Issued by: The Presidency
20 November 2006
