Chairperson, it is said that fortune favours the brave but this is not true for the brave police officers who everyday put their lives at risk for our safety. The FF Plus honours all our brave police officers who are loyal and fearless in carrying
out their duties despite the difficult conditions and poor prospects. However, we strongly condemn the behaviour of some police officers, often deployed cadres, who consider themselves to be above the law.
South Africans should insist that police services must be allowed to serve and protect without any political interference but still within proper disciplinary norms. Minister, South Africa cannot become a police state where, police are abused to clean up where politicians fail. We also cannot become a military state where the army is abused to clean up where the police fail. Minister, if the police in this department fail, South Africa will fail. The recent study conducted on data by various international organisations, judge South Africa as the most dangerous country for women to be travelling alone. The factors that the survey for the Women's Danger Index considered were amongst others; safety to walk alone at night, intentional homicide of women and non-partner sexual violence. Minister, South Africa outscored all countries in this regard.
Chairperson, ineffective policing, result in citizens having to pay extra for a basic service that ought to be provided by the authorities. We are increasingly becoming a failed state where
citizens are expected to implement basic functions where government fails to do so.
Afrikaans:
Geweldsmisdaad deur onwettige vuurwapens vind daagliks plaas en eis jaarliks duisende onskuldige lewens. Beter polisiring van onwettige vuurwapens is nodig.
Maar, die VF Plus staan egter ontwrikbaar by die reg van bevoegde burgers om vuurwapens te besit, om in gepaste gevalle, hulle eiendom en lewens te beskerm.
Die Minister het self in 'n parlementre antwoord erken dat daar meer mense jaarliks in Suid-Afrika deur messe en ander skerp voorwerpe vermoor word as deur vuurwapens, maar hierdie departement wil op privaatvuurwapens fokus.
Die ANC se fokus is verkeerd deur onskuldige mense te ontwapen in 'n land waar die polisie daagliks beheer verloor.
English:
Speaking of wrong focuses, Minister, when will the people of Mangaung be able to see what a Metro police chief that was appointed
a year ago has done for more than a year? He was appointed in May last year and we have not seen any sign of a metro police department in Mangaung.
Afrikaans:
Minister, plaasmoorde bly 'n krisis. Dit bly gevaarliker om plaasboer te wees as 'n polisieman. Die landbougemeenskap word weerloos gelaat en die regering se landelike beveilingsplan misluk as gevolg van 'n tekort aan menslike en ander hulpbronne.
Landelike beveiliging se fokus moet op plaasaanvalle wees en ander landelike misdaad soos veediefstal. Ons landelike gebiede en plase word geterroriseer.
Minister, jy het ges dat jy op intelligensiegedrewe spesialispolisiring fokus. Daar is niks wat jou verhoed om spesialis-landelike beveiligingseenhede in provinsies te vestig nie, waar landelike veiligheid in gedrang is.
Ons verwelkom jou fokus binne provinsies, maar praat met die provinsiale LURe waar landelike beveiliging 'n kwessie is. Hoor wat hulle behoeftes is om landelike gebiede te beveilig en werk verder
saam met landbouorganisasies om 'n effektiewe strategie teen landelike misdaad te ontwikkel en te implementeer.
Minister, dit gaan nie daar stop nie. Weens die swak hantering van strafregsake, leemtes in die oordrag van dossiere tussen die polisie en die Nasionale Vervolgingsgesag, die onvolledigheid van ondersoeke, die integriteit van bewysstukke en die getuienis wat nie behoorlik met sorg hanteer word nie, is vervolgings dikwels onsuksesvol.
Kyk na die oorsake van die gebrek van die polisiring. Die oplossing kan gevind word in eenvoudige, doeltreffende polisisiring .
English:
Speaker, in conclusion, the FF Plus believes that we should restore the integrity and functionality of the police by getting rid of corrupt officials, not making politically motivated appointments and by offering promotions based on expertise and experience. We also say that private expenses for safety must be deductable from tax, establish an effective crime intelligence unit and focus on the prevention of crime without infringing on citizen's rights. Thank you. [Time expired.]
Mr A FRITZ (Western Cape: MEC - Community Safety): Chairperson, I would like to acknowledge the hon Minister of Police, Minister Bheki Cele, Deputy Minister of Police, Deputy Minister Mathale, hon Lamola Minister of Justice and Correctional Services, Deputy Minister Justice and Correctional Service, Deputy Minister Jeffery, all Members of Executive Council, MECs, around, my colleagues and their amazing colleagues, just to acknowledge them, all the hon members in the House of the NCOP, all guests and to the National Commissioner, General Sithole, the whole team and to all citizens of South Africa.
On behalf of the Western Cape Government allow me to express our sincere condolences to the family of Constable Khethiwe who was shot and killed by ruthless thugs and they are nothing else but ruthless thugs. The shooting of Constable Khethiwe is an attack on the state, and want to concur with you hon General Bheki Cele, when you say that is an attack on a state and the declaration of war against the state. I think appropriately should be responded to that. We also wish the other two constables a speedy recovery in the hospital from injuries.
The Province of The Western Cape has seen the slaughter of its citizens by gangs, by the thousands and on under resourced police force who simply could not cope with the gangs and the levels of
crime. For years, the DA-led Western Cape Government has called on National Government to deploy the army in the province. Unfortunately, those calls all fell on deaf ears, eventually; the Minister and the hon President Ramaphosa relented and allowed the deployment of the army.
For the first time, citizens from the poorest communities in this province such as Hanover Park, Manenberg, Lovender, Philippi, Khayelitsha and Nyanga could sleep in peace; they could sleep on their beds in peace. For the first time in a long time, kids could play in the parks and in streets which we all other people just take as normal. For the first time, learners could do homework on top of the kitchen table, not under kitchen table. That was the relief brought to the people of our townships by the deployment of the defence force.
Our entire justice system however remains completely overwhelmed. Many parolees are being released without any consultation with the victims. Prisons are over flooded with young people and I have just seen the stats for July the 15th. The Pollsmoore prison here in Tokai was 160 % overcrowded with the total of 6947 inmates and of those inmates 3254 were youth between the ages of l7 and 25. Children are sent to prison to become criminals and professional
criminals. Our youth really seriously need genuine intervention for rehabilitation.
In the Western Cape prisons, are as I said is 160 % overcrowded. Within our presence gangs are still able to run gangs and torment our communities from inside the prison. I call the Minister of Justice and Correctional Services, hon Lamola to investigate the possibility of blocking of cell phone reception within prisons to put a stop to organised crime originating from inside the prisons. You can get a call from someone inside asking for airtime, that's a norm and must stop.
Let me be clear, the deployment of the South African National Defence Force, SANDF, is but a short term strategy included in a long term integrated and inter-governmental safety plan in the Western Cape and I think we have an agreement on that with the Minister. Such a plan exists because of the leadership in this province of Premier Winde and the DA-led Western Cape Government, here.
Allow to quote Sun Tzu, who says: "Strategy without tactics is the slowest route to victory. Tactics without strategy is the noise before defeat. "I think some our ANC colleagues must remember the
strategy and tactics document, I they go and read again, specifically General Bheki Cele. Part of this strategy is improving inter-governmental relationships so as to enhance safety.
In the short-term, it is necessary to stabilise and normalise our most vulnerable communities affected by crime and gangs. For this reason, the SANDF is being deployed for a minimum of two months as a ring of steel which enables the South African Police Services, SAPS, and the Metro police, the provincial traffic to do their work and root out gangs holding our Communities hostage, however, I cannot emphasise enough that the SANDF and the law enforcement authorities cannot do this on their own, I think there is an agreement on that, neither is it the sole responsibility of government to ensure safety.
Our communities and our communities' structures such as community police forums, CPFS, Neighbourhood Watches, non profit organisations NGOs, the churches, the Mosques and the Synagogues have responsibilities too. So, do families, parents, I mean one of our MECs just spoke about the family as an institution that we need to rebuild and the Department of Social Development must come in, young people and all of those genuinely interested in working together to build a safer South Africa and a safer province for all.
One of the key responsibilities in this regard is for communities to take joint responsibility in addressing the culture of violence and impunity that threatens us. We will play our part, but we need communities to work with us. The time for finger pointing and blame really must come to an end. We really need to work better together.
As the MEC for Community Safety, together with the Premier Winde and all my Cabinet colleagues, we are hard at work establishing the Premier's Priority Committee, and this is from the summit that we had about two weeks ago where all governments departments are involved. This inter-ministerial committee would be chaired by and report to the Premier on a regular basis and will drive the contribution of provincial government towards the implementation of this integrated strategy, General Bheki Cele always speaks about.
As we move forward, the medium-term strategy will focus on firstly, ensuring appointment and that's very, very soon of our new competent and political neutral Provincial Police Commissioner in this province as we need to restore the trust in SAPS in this province. We are also committed to working together with all our community police forums, CPFS, to ensure the success of the upcoming community police forum election in September/October.
I look forward to working in good with faith with the National Minister of Police, General Bheki Cele, to ensure the safety of all the people of the Western Cape. You know Minister Cele we do not regard ourselves an outpost of anything. This Province is nothing special, it another province. Our primary responsibility, as this Western Cape Government is to ensure, together with National Government and that our citizens ore safe, no matter whether they live in another in Hanover Park, Philippi or in Constantia, on the rich side of this town. Everyone has the right to safety. We will play our part in that.
Respectfully, I need to remind Minister and say that with absolute respect of our constitutional obligation of this Province in terms of Section 206 of the constitution that speaks about monitoring of police conduct, the oversee of effectiveness and think Minister Celle knows that our watching briefs in courts have shown those in some of our detectives work at the moment and we have seen cases being recalled, serious cases of rape murder being brought back to court because of our watching brief. We ask in that spirit of co- operation we want to work together and we honestly don't to point fingers.
We will not resort to pointless grandstanding and political points scoring, if there is really one portfolio where we can't waste with politics and little tee sweets it's this portfolio. We've seen the murder of people in this province and really need to take politics out of it and work together all of us. We are working towards building relations between my department, SAPS, the national ministry which will become a model, I think our programme is really going to be model of best practice for intergovernmental relationship going forward. That is how we will ensure that safety our residents is prioritised.
Minister you know your behaviour and actions on Friday when the Premier and I visited the deployed South African National Defence Force, troops to just pay our support as a province to them, that behaviour I think was completely uncalled for and really unacceptable. We will not stop carrying out our constitutional obligations and we need no one's permission to do so.
In a long-term, we must begin to repair the trust and relationships between SAPS and our communities. To this end, our department will continue to provide the necessary oversight to address the many issues faced by SAPS. We must support the South African Police Services, the good man and women in that force and corrupt one must
of course be rooted out, we will support those good ones. In turn I will draw on my renewed relationship with the national government to implement the necessary changes in our area.
I would also like just quickly to ask the National Minister for Justice and Correctional Services that we need to review Child Justice Act and also to train our police officers, who deal with child offenders. The misperception that children may not be arrested allows gangsters to use children as the instruments of evil and crime. Proper implementation of diversion programmes that act allows for should be used so that children don't land in prison. I thank you.