Keynote address by Honourable MEC Weziwe Tikana: Official Launch of Safety and Security Month, Engcobo Administrative Area; Cobosi Village
Mayor of Engcobo Local Municipality
The Acting Head of the Department of Safety and Liaison as well as senior officials
Provincial Commissioner Lt General Liziwe Ntshinga
Heads of Departments and Entities
Stakeholders in the Law Enforcement and Safety Fraternity
Religious, Traditional and Community leaders
Government Officials
Distinguished guests
Representatives from various media Houses
Ladies and gentlemen
Good afternoon to you all!
It is indeed a great honour and privilege to me, for having been afforded an opportunity to speak at this imposing gathering. Unequivocally, we should draw inspiration from the ANC January 8th statement, which, was delivered most recently in East London by the newly elected President of the ANC, comrade Cyril Ramaposa, for “Renewal, Unity and Jobs” for all in our country. Indeed, “Unity in Action” has become a powerful weapon through which a myriad of milestones could be achieved, with particular reference to the mandate of the Department of Safety and Liaison.
We should also be cognisant and mindful of the fact that the ANC has declared 2018 as “100 years of Nelson Mandela”. Indeed, the 2018 is the year of Renewal, Unity and Jobs. We will also celebrate the centenary of 100 years for the late Albertina Sisulu whose late husband Comrade Walter Sisulu, was born here at Engcobo Administrative Area. Of extreme importance, the current administration is coming to an end this year, next year the general elections will be held across the country to afford you another opportunity to vote for a Political Party, which, knows your aspirations and desires quite acutely.
Nonetheless, Comrade Cyril has made it clear that the communities should be set free from all forms of crime. In line with that, this is a moment of showcasing our unwavering commitment as government, to ensure service delivery reaches all corners of this province, including the far flung areas, where our people live. We are gathered here today, to reconnect the people of the Eastern Cape Province with their government, as we said in the Freedom Charter that the people shall govern in the post-Apartheid Era. It is in that gallant spirit that we appeal to all members of the community to become integral cogs of Government, in the fight against crime. In line with that, verifiable evidence has proven that Government alone cannot succeed in quelling crime without the support of the communities. We therefore, urge the communities to occupy centre in assisting the Government to expose the criminal behaviour.
We want the people of the Eastern Cape Province to unite in action for a safer Eastern Cape Province. And that is practically possible when as the members of the community begin to realize that street and village committees ought to be rekindled to ensure that, indeed, they serve as ears and eyes of Government on the ground. Inextricably linked to that, is that the proper functionality of Community Safety Forums and Community Police Forums should be our burden as a collective to ensure that our province is indeed exonerated from all forms of criminal activities.
The Community Safety Forums in particular, will help tackle crime by approaching the security challenge from a developmental perspective. This involves bringing together the key role-players responsible for criminal justice, to suitably assist in crime prevention endeavours. In this regard, both individually and collectively, we should own up to the fight against all forms of crime and corruption, in our communities or in our province, as a united family.
Let me also accentuate the point that the police have a huge responsibility to deliver effective and excellent services to the people on the ground, and most importantly they should serve them with dignity and diligence they deserve. In this regard, the police are steadfastly committed in driving the mandate of our Government of creating safer communities and a crime-free province, as well as a country for all our people.
As the MEC responsible in this regard for the province, and a department responsible for overseeing and monitoring the South African Police Service, we will steadfastly continue to work hand in glove with the police to ensure that the best service delivery reaches our people on the ground without fail.
Nonetheless, we will not shy away from our solid monitoring and oversight role nor giving guidance in terms of corrective measures and better compliance from SAPS in serving our people, should a need arise. Community members, they too, should be well-bent to monitor how the service delivery machinery of Government is performing and should feel relatively at-ease to generate recommendations not only to hold the police accountable, but also to see how we could better improve service delivery together with SAPS and other Law Enforcement Agencies, in the fight against crime.
We are however, confident that with the significant strides that SAPS is making in our province and our collaborative efforts with communities as a department, indeed, we will change the tide.
However, we have noted with concern that new forms of crime such as cannibalism, amavondo and gangsters in rural communities have started in some parts of the province to rear their ugly heads.
This too, requires a collective effort to ensure that we restore the moral fibre of our communities. At the end of it all we want members of the community to display moral rectitude in whatever they do or say to others. In this fashion, the moral values of the communities shall be nurtured, upheld and ultimately passed on from one generation to the other, without fail. This is an ideal community, in unity, we all aspire to achieve so that our communities could be free of criminal activities.
Ladies and gentlemen, allow me to emphasise once again, that ensuring safety in communities cannot be the sole responsibility of SAPS alone, although they are the main stakeholder in crime prevention, but it requires a collective effort from us all. Communities should now take centre stage and assist Government in exposing the criminal behaviour so that the people could live in peace and harmony with one another.
Crime is not unique to Engcobo, the province or the country but it’s a world-wide challenge which requires collaborative efforts to combat it. It is not a dream to have a crime-free province, but it is an achievable objective if we all commit to work together, united in action for a safer Eastern Cape Province.
In conclusion ladies and gentlemen, I would also like to exhort the local community to join hands with the police, in the fight against crime. Communities need to be involved not only in determining policing priorities in their areas, but also in identifying the crime prevention needs as well. Crime levels are affected by a wide range of economic, social and political factors, addressing the crime prevention needs requires a multi-disciplinary, integrated approach. So, in unity, a lot can be achieved and in unison we shall indeed achieve more.
Another humble plea is for our communities to report crimes and expose perpetrators because the law is there to protect them.
Most importantly ladies and gentlemen, Our Theme: is Youth United in Action for a Safer Eastern Cape; we have consciously and deliberately chosen this theme to signify the role that young people should play, in the fight against crime. Quite often than not, the majority of the law-breakers forms part of the youth. In respect of that, we appeal to all youth formations wherever they are, in our province, to become champions of development and agents of change, in the fight against crime.
Finally, no one should live in abusive relationships or feel ashamed to report a rape or any sort of those contact crimes. Remember, it is only by reporting it that something could be done about it. Let us work together with our men and women in blue to root out criminal elements in our communities to create safer communities for all of us to live in peace and harmony with one another.
Nevertheless, ladies and gentlemen, I now declare the official Launch of the Safety and Security Month, with the following key activities that will take place in various municipalities across the Eastern Cape Province:
- SAPS Accountability Engagement Programme
- Youth Empowerment Dialogue and School debates on exiting gasterism;
- Community Engagement on Gender Based Violence (Vulnerable Groups);
- Community Engagement on Cannibalism;
- Launch of Street and Village Committees;
- School Safety Programme;
- Farmers Association Engagement on Stock theft;
- Breakfast and dinner programmes with scholars living with a disability; and
- Launch of the Department of Safety and Liaison research reports on crime.
Theme: “Youth united in action for a safer Eastern Cape”
I thank you.
