Members of the media
It is my pleasure to brief you on the Third Quarter Progress Report of the Justice, Crime Prevention and Security Cluster Programme of Action of the 2010/11 financial year.
This media briefing takes place when the President and the Premier have set the tone for the 2011/12 financial year in the State of the Nation Address (SONA) and State of the Province Address (SOPA) respectively.
As we all now know, the President in the State of the Nation Address declared the 2011/12 as the year of creating work opportunities. The same intent of creating more work opportunities was echoed by Premier Cassel Mathale when he delivered the State of the Province Address.
All South Africans have a responsibility of lending a helping hand to the President and the government in the creation of these much-needed work opportunities – the same responsibility also fall on the Justice, Crime Prevention and Security Cluster.
The Department of Safety, Security and Liaison chairs the Justice, Crime Prevention and Security Cluster. The Cluster is composed of:
- Safety, Security and Liaison
- Justice and Constitutional Development
- Correctional Services
- Defence
- Home Affairs
- State Security
I have just received the baton of leading the Cluster from the able hands of colleague, Mrs Dikeledi Magadzi who is now with the Department of Health and Social Development. We thank her for the great work she has done with the Cluster and wish her well in her new area of deployment.
1. Reduction of contact crimes,
A lot has been done within the Cluster and Stakeholders to reduce Contact Crimes:
- The Department of Safety, Security and Liaison together with the South African Police Service (SAPS), Community Policing Forum (CPF), House of traditional Leadership Limpopo and South African Council of Churches has managed to implement 60 campaigns which included among others: door to door, community mobilisation and focused interventions.
- 15 Community Safety Forums in municipal areas have been established to strength the participation of communities in the combating and prevention of crime. Street /village committees are still to be established as we see Fighting Crime Everybody`s Business
- 93 CPFs from 93 policing precincts have been inducted, and 67 evaluated
- 67 police stations were evaluated and monitored
- 4.67 % reduction on contact crime as compared to the same period last year
- Six complete police stations were handed over
- Six satellite station to be completed by the end of the financial year 2010/11
2. Safe and secure points of entry / border posts
Joint operations between the BCOCC, South African National Defence Force (SANDF) and SAPS, South African Revenue Service (SARS) and Traffic Police are conducted on a regular basis to regulate the legal exit and entry of goods and passengers at all points of entry into the country through our province:
- 788 Joint operations and stop and search exercises have been conducted effectively and on regular basis. This includes manual cargo screening compared to 119 Joint operations conducted in the third quarter of 2009/10
- The joint operations took place at the following points of entry: Beit Bridge, Groblers Bridge and Polokwane International Airport.
- 290 SANDF have been deployed along stretches of our borderline
3. Reduction of overcrowded correctional fascilities
- There are no minors accommodated in all correctional facilities in the province at the moment, 479 number of offenders were recommended for placement on parole for the quarter of which 179 were placed out
- In regard to rehabilitation of ex offenders and parolees, 45, 31 % 9128 of parolees and probationers attend rehabilitation programmes in terms of parole board conditions and courts
- In improving the capacity of the present correctional facilities, we are currently upgrading the Tzaneen correctional unit to accommodate 400 population offenders in future
4. Improved safety on public roads
- 44 joint operations conducted and 255 multi disciplinary road blocks were conducted
- Expansion of the computerised learners license test system to five other driving license testing centres in Thohoyandou, Sekgosese, Lebowakgomo, Maruleng and Mogalakwena were done.
- Establishment of Road Safety Council in Municipalities at 24 local municipalities of the five districts of the province.
5. Women and children crime victims
- We are bringing Social Development into the main stream so that domestic violence should not be seen only as a security matter
- The department formed a solid partnership with The Limpopo Province House of Traditional Leaders, Office of the Premier and Zivikele Training to workshop traditional leaders throughout the Province.
- The workshops dealt with the implementation of a multi-sector response to Gender Based Violence (GBV) and HIV. GBV & HIV now viewed as a dual epidemic- along with domestic violence-impacts significantly upon women’s wellness. GBV, assaults, rape, assaults with intent to do grievous bodily harm are social actions that have been shown to place women and children at particular risk to HIV infections.
- During the workshops, traditional leaders and their indunas were workshopped on issues such as understanding the context of violence including Gender Based Violence in South African Communities. Traditional leaders were also made to understand ways to follow when assisting victims of sexual offences and domestic violence.
6. An enhanced and effective criminal justice system
Implementation of the Child Justice Act
- Of the 4636 Children in conflict with the law 2175 were referred to places of Safety/ Secure care and 2461 were released under parental care
- An application for the transfer of land to the department has been lodged with the Deeds Office in Pretoria
- The Provincial Justice
7. Improved safety and security in schools
- To date 1914 schools were visited for searching of substance and dangerous weapons
- 1000 schools are linked to Police Stations
- The Department of Safety, Security and Liaison in partnership with the Department of Education has kicked off provincial essay and poetry competition project yesterday which is aimed at creating awareness on safety at school. Participants are learners from crime high priority schools,
- In terms of road safety, 51 traffic police have been deployed to help learners in crossing main roads in the morning when the school stats and in the afternoon when the school ends.
- 1590 road safety awareness campaigns were achieved throughout the province
- All in all 699 public transport deployments have been conducted
8. Reduced levels of corruption through the tracking of corruption in the public service
- The Limpopo Anti Corruption Forum was re – launch on the 09th December 2010
- The appointed forum is to adopt the resolution taken during the launch as baseline
- The forum is also representative of members from the Civil Society, Organised Labour and Business Sector and will be chaired MEC Soviet Lekganyane.
- In combating fraud and corruption on issuing of drivers licences, the department of Road and Transport cancelled 933 driving licences, 55 examiners were suspended from the eNaTIS and four examiners were given warning letters for irregularities in administration.
9. Update: the documentation of Zimbabwean nationals
- The Department of Home Affairs has finally completed process of the documentation of the Zimbabwean nationals. The Project was aimed at documenting all Zimbabwean nationals who have been in the Republic during the special dispensation either for work, studies, business or any circumstance which gave them some measure of legitimate stay in the country. The project was also aimed at giving amnesty to all the Zimbabweans Nationals that have illegally acquired South African documents. The last day to take in such application was 31 December 2010
- A limited number of the Zimbabweans nationals managed to surrender their illegally acquired documents to several offices throughout the Province.
- The department is currently engaging stakeholders such as farmers were 6000 farm workers are employed.
10. Malamulele muti killings
The ritual killings related cases which were one stage prevalent in the Vhembe District had been a thing of the past until two cases occurred within a short from each other. These killings naturally created panic in the area leading to unfortunate incidents of violence.
We assure the Malamulele community and the people of Limpopo in general that we are on top of the situation. The police will leave no stone unturned to solve these crimes:
- A high profile task team has been appointed to
- The cluster has also planned to consult with stakeholders and host a focus intervention community mobilisation programme that is in line with the Ritual Killings Summit of 2007 Resolutions.
- It still remains a myth to believe that using human parts would make a business boom.
11. Rural safety
This output remains a priority that requires cooperation between the communities and the Police
Building more police stations to stamp out crime out of our villages
- Jane Furse and Botlokwa police stations have been completed and handed over to the respective communities. The upgrading of Masemola Police Station has been completed with only network and communication infrastructure pending
- Driekop and Aganang Satelite Police Stations are to be finalised by the end of this financial year.
12. Eskom: Reduction of illegal connections of electricity
- Year to date 19 913 connections completed in Limpopo Province
- 12750 illegal connections removed year to date
- 52907 connections audited
- Conduct public safety
I thank you
Enquiries:
Molebatsi Masedi
Tel: 015 290 2912 7
Cell: 083 647 8818
Email: molebatsim@dssl.limpopo.gov.za
