Programme Director
KwaZulu-Natal Police Commissioner
Lieutenant-General Mmamonnye Ngobeni
The Head of Department, Mr Themba Mavundla
Deputy National Police Commissioner; Lieutenant General Khehla John Sithole
Chairman of the KwaZulu-Natal Crime Prevention Association; Mr Tallman Zuma
Chairman of the KwaZulu-Natal Crime Policing Forum; Mr Desmond Mntambo
Senior Management of the SAPs in KZN
The leadership and members of the Youth Desk
Management of the Department
Members of the media
Distinguished guests
Ladies and gentlemen
All protocol observed
I would like to begin by thanking each and every one of you that has attended this Provincial Youth Crime Prevention Summit which is being held under the theme: “Placing KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) Youth in the Forefront of Fight Against Crime" Your presence here this morning serves as a strong signal that we are all unanimously committed to working towards living in a safe and secure environment. Ladies and gentlemen, a series of meetings have culminated into this Summit which makes us to be very positive about the future in this province in as far as safety and security is concerned.
We are tasked with this challenging but achievable objective in one of the most dangerous Provinces in the country. Ladies and gentlemen, I stand here before you today still appalled and saddened by the incident on Tuesday morning in Nquthu where gunmen stormed a primary school classroom, shot and killed a teacher in full view of his pupils.
The most tragic part is that during the shooting, two pupils were shot. One died upon arrival at the hospital and the other was injured. While the police reacted swiftly and arrested three suspects, the brazenness of the crime is what shocked me the most.
The fact that these gunmen barged into a classroom and shot a teacher in full view of his pupils shows that a lot still needs to be done to fight crime and to put an end to this gung-ho culture. Programme director, given this challenging task, we cannot ignore the roots of South Africa`s high levels of crime in the apartheid era.
As a united nation today, living in democracy, our fight against the unacceptable levels of crime must be a multi-faceted one and have the active participation of every sector of society, especially the youth which are the future of this province and country. It is against that short background that we have themed the summit “Placing KZN Youth in the Forefront of Fight Against Crime” because the youth are the future of this country and anything that we do must include them.
By placing the youth at the forefront in the fight against crime and working together, we must continue to close the space for criminals and mount tough action against criminals. This can be achieved in various ways, such as:
- Tighter laws
- Phoning the police, private security of community safety structures to report the crime
- Taking a picture or video recording; with today’s technology and cell phones, it is not difficult
- Reporting a neighbour that is selling drugs
- Reporting a shebeen/pub that is not operating within the ambit of the law and
- A more effective police force and prosecuting authority but most importantly is the involvement of communities and the youth.
One good example was displayed this week when officials from my Department, the media, the youth and other organisations conducted a 4 peace march in Mtubatuba, protesting that the suspect be denied bail. The officials marched under the slogan: `No bail to rape suspects`.
In this case, it is alleged that a 78-year-old woman in Mtubatuba, was raped by her son who was subsequently arrested.
However the woman died upon receiving news that her son was to be released from the prison.
This incident has been widely condemned by government and it shows the lowest declines in morals amongst our people.
Programme director, great strides have been made in fighting crime but it remains a threat due to our youth’s continuous involvement in crime, as perpetrators and victims. It is, therefore, critical that any crime prevention strategy that is developed and implemented should clearly involve the role of the youth. Indeed, in all efforts and initiatives youth remain both the delicate and strategic asset. Delicate because they are prone and susceptible to all sort of influences- both good and bad. Strategic asset because they constitute our future, equally they are also very influential and energetic.
In short, this means when the youth are correctly guided, mobalised and deployed they have a potential to be a “game-changer” in our battle against crime and all forms of social ills. They are, indeed, critical and important “force-multiplier” in our united front against crime.
When it comes to crime prevention, a few initiatives can have more significance impact than the one that has brought us together today. It 5 takes us beyond the mere pointing of fingers but rather forming partnerships for practical action to tackle issues that contribute to crime. I believe the youth should be involved in the initiation and implementation of strategies to prevent violence in their communities.
By having an active voice in discussing, planning and organising events geared at curbing crime, targeting youth will build the skills that will help them make positive contributions to their communities. Our National Development Plan also stresses the importance of young people in creating safer communities.
It states, and I quote, “The safety of young people should be of interest to all involved in shaping the future of the country. Most young people around the world would like to express themselves in places and spaces of their choice and cherish the freedom to enjoy their youth.
If they feel unsafe and are hindered by violence or threat to life and property, a very significant stage of their lives is stifled.” It also states that: “The youth can only take co-responsibility if government is seen to be taking the lead to resource and support their initiatives and actions. Benevolent surveillance and mutual care among the youth should be promoted. In simple terms, they should look out for each other.
Furthermore, they should be encouraged to approach government and the private sector on such measures that would promote their safety.” In line with the NDP, the Ministry of Police has instructed provincial counterparts to:
- Develop an integrated National Youth Crime Prevention Frame- Work that comply with government policies such as National Youth Policy,
- National Crime Prevention Strategy, National Crime Combating Strategy, National Development Plan, and the SAPS Strategic Plan;
- Relationship building with various stakeholders and recognition of young people as key role players in crime prevention; and
- Develop a multi-agency approach to deal with matters that affect young people in South Africa and integration of all youth formations that deals with proactive crime prevention programmes.
In KZN, various meetings have been held and it was resolved that the process map for achieving the above will be as follows:
- Mobilisation for the launch of the Provincial Youth Desk (this structure will lead the issues pertaining to youth crime prevention);
- Drafting of the constitution (which will govern the existence and functionality of the Provincial Youth Desk Structure);
- Development of the Provincial Youth Crime Prevention Strategy; and
- Hosting of the provincial youth crime prevention summit which will has representatives from all youth formations.
Ladies and gentlemen, for all these reasons, this is a campaign that deserves all our support. It is clear that the youth need our support, the same way we need theirs if we are to defeat crime. We held this summit because we want to hear from everyone that is here, especially the youth. Personally, I would like to hear your inputs because we started this work together and I want us to finish it together.
On another note, I would like to stress that we abstain from laying all the blame on the police when we as community members do not play a role in fighting crime. It is important to note that the police can never do all their work alone.
There is not a single place in the world where crime is the sole responsibility of the police. So before we start pointing fingers at each other and the police, let us look at the impact that we as society can have if we are unified against this scourge of crime. We must remember that in order to fight crime, the police need a strong intelligence network amongst the community because that is where the crime mostly manifests. If the communities, especially our youth serve as the eyes and ears for reporting crime to the police, it will go a very long way in our war with crime.
While the police make great strides in helping towards preventing crime, community policing and youth participation play an even bigger role because in most cases, the police are reactive and come across the situation after the crime has been reported to them.
Another major factor that can contribute significantly in the scourge against crime is youth that are patriotic and are actively and resiliently against crime. After-all it is all about the future of the youth, who are our future leaders. South Africa belongs to its youth. You are the future and the makers of tomorrow. What you do today will reflect in the society tomorrow.
To live in a province that is safe and crime free, we need sharp minded youth. Today, I am making the clarion call to all the youth to come forward and participate in building a strong nation and realising our goal of a crime free KwaZulu-Natal and South Africa.
I say to you, take your place in our campaigns; work collectively with us and become leaders that help rebuild our society. The success or failure of building a united front against crime and ensuring that the people of KwaZulu-Natal live in a safe and secure environment rest on all our shoulders.
The hosting of this Youth Summit Against Crime is very important to the department in that it is the fulfilment of one of our key objectives outlined in our 2015/16 Budget Vote Speech. Foe fulfilment of this objective we wish to thank the SAPS management and the Youth Desk Interim Committee which partnered with us to delivery this all-important Summit.
In conclusion, ladies and gentlemen, it is now our pleasure to introduce to you the brand new leadership of the KZN Youth Desk which was democratically elected yesterday: We wish to take this opportunity to congratulate them and pledge our unwavering support to them. To us, they constitute a critical and an allimportant building block in our united front against crime On that note, ladies and gentlemen, this is after all a Summit and I therefore pause so we can hear your inputs and submissions.
I thank you.
