Cluster visit Mpumalanga province
3 March 2009
As Directors-General (DGs) of the Justice Crime Prevention and Security
Cluster, (JCPS) this is our fourth provincial visit. We have come to Mpumalanga
to receive reports from our provincial structures, get first hand experience of
the challenges they face in the implementation of government programmes as well
as note the successes they have obtained. We will also elevate these issues to
the executive at national level.
By moving to the coal face of service delivery, we gain invaluable
experience of the daily reality facing our departments and the conditions under
which they have to operate. This assists us as we plan and make decisions.
The DGs meeting held today was briefed on the crime situation in the
province by acting Provincial Commissioner Machabi who is also the chairperson
of the provincial Joint Operational and Intelligence Structure, (JOINTS),
comprising mainly of South African Police Service (SAPS), National Intelligence
Agency (NIA), National Intelligence Co-ordinating Committee (NICOC), National
Prosecuting Authority (NPA), 2010 office and South African Defence Force
(SANDF).
Commissioner Machabi specifically highlighted the prevalence of trio crimes
in the 16 high contact crime stations. These areas which show a tendency of
high prevalence of the trio crimes are Kanyamazane, Tonga and Siyabuswa. Whilst
most other crime categories have decreased, there has been an increase in the
trio crimes which include car and truck hijackings, business and house
robbery.
Some of the measures being implemented to combat these crimes include,
involvement of state prosecutors in the provincial JOINTS, senior SAPS legal
services member appointed permanently to provide legal advice, appointment of
the case flow forum to fast track finalisation of cases, project training by
prosecutors of detectives was deployed at Ports of Entry, optimum utilisation
of reservists to maximise visibility, conducting of special investigations to
address police involvement in Crime, Community Policing forums (CPFS) are being
mobilised to ensure community support, establishment of the war room concept as
it exists in other provinces and regional co-ordination of arrested suspects
through suspect profiling process.
Commissioner Machabi also highlighted the challenges being faced, such
as:
* postponement of court cases
* DNA and ballistic reports that are long outstanding
* suspect that change legal representation
* inquest documents not finalised in time
* the non-appointment of a Director of Public Prosecutions
* road and infrastructure, particularly in the rural areas is poor and
inaccessible.
As a way forward in addressing the above mentioned challenges, the meeting
agreed that the JCPS cluster core departments should return to the province for
a more intensive discussion on how to address some of the pressing matters
raised by the acting commissioner.
The Chairperson of the Provincial Integrated Justice System Development
Committee, Mr M D Mhlanga made a presentation highlighting the various
activities of the committee of the Department of Justice and Constitutional
Development (DoJCD) in Mpumalanga, which include amongst other crime fighting,
prevention and case management.
The committee is making a concerted effort to ensure integration of the
various structures existing in the province such as case flow management, child
justice forum and victim empowerment.
The presentation also addressed matters such as overcrowding, bail, child
custody in correctional facilities. Mr Mhlanga also gave an overview of the
electronic systems being utilised by the criminal justice system for example
scheduler, electronic funds transfer, database for foreign language, court
interpreters to be used for 2010 is complete.
He also highlighted on the public education that is conducted on domestic
violence, maintenance matters and the victimâs charter, which was launched in
the province during 2008.
Mr Velani Nzimande, Chairperson of the Provincial Border Control
Co-ordinating Committee (BCOCC), also gave an overview on the operations of
ports of entry and co-located border concept.
Our visit to the Lebombo Border Post is particularly against the background
of an initiative between South Africa and Mozambique to integrate both Lebombo
and Ressano Garcia Border Posts. The integration will result in a One Stop
Border Post/Collocated Border Post which results in many benefits, amongst
others, will be the following:
* significant improvement of efficiency in the facilitation of legal movement
of people and goods across the two countries
* increased collaboration of South African officials and their counterparts in
facilitation of legal passage of people and goods
* travellers will only stop once as opposed to the current dispensation which
requires that they get processed at two facilities of the two countries
* congestion will be effectively dealt with and is expected to result in
travellerâs convenience
* collaboration between the security services of both countries will be
enhanced
* agreement on operating times will be easy to reach between the two
countries.
As already mentioned, it is our intention to ensure that all law enforcement
in all South African ports of entry is effective. Government will continue to
make efforts to ensure that desired improvements are realised.
Whilst government has always made efforts for effective law enforcement at
all our ports of entry, the 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup and 2010 FIFA World
Cup to be hosted by South Africa propels us to double our efforts in that
regard.
With the anticipation of an influx of soccer fans from abroad, Joint Border
Clearance Initiative will be implemented in the South African and neighbouring
states border posts. The initiative entails co-operation between South African
border posts officials and their counterparts in processing the passage of
travellers through our borders. The initiative will result in effective and
efficient border post operations as already mentioned in respect of the One
Stop Border Post/Co-located Border Post.
Attention will be given the following land border posts in order of their
priority:
* Lebombo (Mozambique)
* Beit Bridge (Zimbabwe)
* Kopfontein (Botswana)
* Oshoek (Swaziland)
* Fiksburg Bridge (Lesotho)
* Maseru Bridge (Lesotho)
Other than the land border posts, consideration has been given to other
ports of entry. Several foreign airports have been designated priority as ports
of entry due to the following considerations:
* Strategic central air hubs
* Volume of travellers departing for South Africa
* Possibility of participating in the 2010 FIFA World Cup
* Direct flights to South Africa
The selected airports are:
* Perth Airport (Perth, Australia)
* Heathrow Airport (London, United Kingdom)
* Schiphol Airport (Amsterdam, Netherlands)
* Frankfort Hahn Airport (Frankfurt, Germany)
For the FIFA Confederations Cup, only the Perth Airport has been selected as
a priority foreign airport.
We also visited the Lebombo Border Post Storage facility where all illegal
and contraband goods confiscated from travellers are stored. This facility
indicates that law enforcement is being carried out at this border post, but we
are not suggesting that all illegal goods are detected. Therefore, we will
continue to improve the effectiveness of law enforcement at all our border
posts and other ports of entry.
We have previously visited KwaZulu-Natal, Western Cape, Eastern Cape; our
visit to Mpumalanga has helped us to fully understand the processes that are
happening in respect of passage of pedestrians, passenger traffic and goods
through our borders.
Directors-General present:
* Advocate Menzi Simelane, Department of Justice and Constitutional
Development
* Commissioner Xoliswa Sibeko, Department of Correctional Services
* Mr Silumko Sokupa, National Intelligence Co-ordinating Committee
(NICOC)
* General Matanzima, South African National Defence Force
* Deputy National Commissioner, Andre Pruis
* Dr. Gamede, Department of Defence
For enquiries:
Commissioner Ngobeni
Cell: 082 779 8709
Issued by: Government Communication System and Information System
3 March 2009
