Speaker notes for Minister of Police General Bheki Cele at the Global Public Security Cooperation hosted in Lianyungang, China
State Councillor Minister of Public Security of The Peoples Republic of China, Mr Wang Xiaohong;
Chairperson of the Conference Mr Zeng Weixiong;
All Deputy Ministers in attendance;
All Invited guests;
Members of the Media;
Ladies and Gentlemen;
All Protocol Observed;
Good Morning to you all.
It is truly a great honour to participate in this progressive and prestigious event where domestic and international security matters of our respective countries , remains very high on the agenda.
It is indeed an even greater privilege to address the Global Public Security Cooperation Forum; attended by over 500 guests from over 50 countries, regions and international organisations.
As South Africa we attach so much importance and value to gatherings of this nature, which are aimed at improving the efficiency and effectiveness of our law enforcement capabilities.
Our gathering at this forum is highlighted by our deep understanding that as governments, it remains our fundamental responsibility to safeguard citizens of our individual countries.
This is why we converge here to discuss in detail, the global public security issues of common interests in all our countries.
In my country South Africa, we have a saying - “Iphoyisa Yi phoyisa Ngomphakathi’ this means, Police are police through the communities that they serve.
I wish to highlight on this international stage, the importance of working together as the global community, for the common goal of safety.
Indeed the phrase, Iphoyisa Yi phoyisa Ngomphakathi’ amplifies the point that public safety in ANY country, cannot be achieved without the participation of communities that we serve.
Equally, public safety cannot be fully realized without the work of law enforcement in society.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
As we know, the Global Public Security Cooperation Forum has since its inception, built an effective platform for all stakeholders, countries and parties to deepen cooperation in the field of public security.
It remains encouraging to see a forum of this magnitude, continue to reinforce the need for greater collaborations to advance public security.
I want to put in on record that South Africa is willing to work with developing countries, to actively participate and support the development of the Forum.
Just last month, South Africa hosted the BRICS summit in Johannesburg.
The successful event went ahead incident free and we believe this is due to the collaboration we enjoy with member countries of the Summit, especially the People’s Republic of China.
During the BRICS summit, attended by heads of states, among them the President of the Peoples Republic of China; his Excellency, President Xi Jinping who was welcomed by the President of the Republic of South Africa; his Excellency, President Cyril Ramaphosa upon his arrival, received the country's warmest hospitality and highest security protection during the Summit.
All Heads of States security detail was safeguarded though the BRICS Protection services; characterized by information sharing and the South African Police Services Presidential Protection Services, working closely with their country counterparts.
Moreover, as the Minister of police, in June this year, I led a high level delegation from the South African Police Service (SAPS) where we completed a 5 day official visit in the People’s Republic of China.
Chairperson,
The official visit to three cities in your beautiful country, namely; Shenzhen, Beijing and Shanghai further cemented our strong relationship as brother countries that share a long and rich history.
On a safety and security front, our visit to this country deepened the existing working relations and several cooperations with our law enforcements over the years.
These include the support in building a Detective University in South Africa to boost our investigative capacity.
We have also finalised the establishment of a formal and rigorous policing exchange programme of personnel capabilities and training between the two countries.
The cooperation we enjoy with the Peoples Republic of China, also includes working together on transnational and environmental crimes, the collaboration to deal with violent crimes in South Africa, through technological interventions and the safety of nationals residing in both countries.
I know that Minister of Public Security, Wang Xiaohong and myself have through our engagement in Beijing, been clear that we must realise our public safety goals that we have set.
So I do want to thank your excellency, for the dedication and commitment to walk this journey with us; to amongst other things, partner with South Africa to boost law enforcement capabilities.
Our countries have previously signed a police co-operation agreement, from early 2000s to prevent, detect and suppress crimes.
These include international terrorism, production of illicit goods, economic crimes including money laundering and human trafficking as well as other transnational organized crimes, just to name a few.
The working visit to South Africa by Vice Minister of Public Security Mr. Chen Siyuan in July 2023, further boosted the working relationship between our countries.
During his visit to South African shores, the Vice Minister witnessed first hand law enforcement capabilities that are in place to protect ALL those living within our borders, including the thousands of Chinese nationals who have made South Africa, their home.
Through these engagements I have highlighted, We remain encouraged by the new avenues being explored to boost South African techniques in law enforcement and create safer communities, with the collaboration of our Chinese counterparts.
As I conclude,
True to the theme of this years Forum, One World, Common Security, As South African Security Cluster, we are committed to the the vision of common, comprehensive, cooperative and sustainable security.
We are confident such a security Think Tank will leave lasting legacies for future generations who can live in a world where public safety is a right and not a privilege.
We look forward to deliberations and dialogues at this Forum, that will result in more action orientated solutions on public safety.
I THANK YOU.
