A New provincial Community Policing Board was elected by delegates representing North West community policing forums (CPF) area cluster boards at the re-launching meeting held on Wednesday at the Stilfontein Peoples community hall. The board replaces the previous board that was dissolved on the 22 September 2009 for being dysfunctional and unaccountable.
Though the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) had its hands full during the tightly contested elections that were characterised by lengthy stoppages during which credentials were queries, eligibility of candidates questioned and robust debates entertained regarding procedural issues, the end product was a democratically elected and representative provincial structure.
In his keynote address delivered at the re-launch meeting, North West MEC for Public Safety, Howard Yawa outlined the key objectives of the provincial Community Policing Board as being to:
* establish and maintain a partnership between communities and the police
* promote communication between communities and the police
* facilitate improvements in the rendering of police services in the province
* improve and ensure the transparency and accountability of the police
* monitor and ensure the effectiveness of the police
* promote and ensure joint problem identification and problem solving by communities and the police
* evaluate the provision of visible policing in the province.
MEC Yawa appealed to the 96 delegates who represented 12 area cluster CPF’s not to elect power mongers but put together a formidable team that shares values of honesty, integrity and voluntarism. He urged delegates to elect a team that will work tirelessly to mobilise communities for the war against crime that should be won at all costs.
“The dysfunctional state of most area cluster boards as constituencies of the provincial structure was a de-facto recipe for the dissolved structure to become aloof from its core constituency and loose sense of its obligations and responsibilities until a motion of no confidence was passed against it on the 29 May 2009,” said MEC Yawa.
A ten member provincial task team was nominated on the 22 September 2009 to prepare for the re-launch of the provincial Community Policing Board and endorsed during the CPF consultative workshop that was hosted by MEC Yawa on the 30 September 2009.
Yawa highlighted that the provincial Community Policing Board is supposed to:
* advice the South African Police (SAPS) at provincial level regarding policing priorities
* encourage and support community based crime prevention projects
* promote and monitor the effective management of CPF resources
* encourage and support community based crime prevention projects
* promote and monitor the effective management of CPF resources
* advice the MEC for Public Safety on community policing issues
* provide regular feedback to communities regarding police service delivery.
In his acceptance speech, the newly elected Chairperson, Leonard Brown from the Brits Area CPF Cluster pledged to carry out the objectives and functions as outlined by MEC Yawa and to be accountable to area cluster boards and CPF’s and work together with the police to mobilise communities for the war against crime in order to create a crime free environment conducive for the successful hosting of the FIFA 2010 World Cup.
Other members of the board are:
* Deputy Chairperson: Reuben Radebe (Rustenburg area cluster)
* Secretary: Johnny Booi (Wolmaranstad area cluster)
* Deputy Secretary: Moletsane Ntshotshoba (Vryburg area cluster)
* Treasurer: Sannah Kgeshane (Klerksdorp area cluster)
Additional members:
Goitseone Kehositse (Morokweng area cluster)
Tsholofelo Mogapi (Zeerust area cluster)
Mosala Leepile (Mafikeng area cluster)
Enquiries:
Lesiba Moses Kgwele
Tel: 018 381 9171
Cell: 083 629 1987
Fax: 018 381 9123
E-mail: LKgwele@nwpg.gov.za
Issued by: Department of Public Safety, North West Provincial Government
19 November 2009
