The tragedy is that while small politics are being played in this Chamber, this province ... [Interjections] ... the Western Cape Province, had 47 murders last weekend, 45 attempted murders, 129 armed robberies, 362 thefts of motor vehicles and over 70 or 80 women raped, and that is about 10% of the truth. [Interjections.]
The question that has to be addressed to the Minister of Safety and Security, because he said that the taxi violence is as a result of racism and a lack of understanding of democracy in this province, and that this is the number one crime province according to their own police statistics, is: Can he tell us in what way, other than with urban terrorism and now during this taxi violence, has this province been assisted with numeric supplies and other resources, as it is required by law, in order to safeguard the citizenry of this province? [Interjections.]
Since 1995 we have been given 112 new police recruits. I am currently training - because the question was asked where I was, 150 police reservists in an intensive training programme in Oudtshoorn, for which my department pays and which I am not actually allowed to do. I trained over 250 police reservists last year. I found sponsors and we increased the police numbers in this province by 257. [Interjections.] I will increase the police numbers in this province by another 450 during the course of this year, and this is being paid for by sponsors and the public sector at the moment.
I would like to bring to the attention of this Parliament something which is going to increase even more.
Nog misdaadslagoffers eis vergoeding van die Regering. Feit van die saak is, meer en meer mense voel onveilig in hierdie land van ons. Meer en meer mense voel so. (Translation of Afrikaans paragraph follows.)
[Still more victims of crime are demanding compensation from the Government. In fact, more and more people are feeling unsafe in this land of ours. More and more people are feeling this way.]
I would have hoped that the Minister for Justice and Constitutional Development would have read some of the Hansards. Four years ago, I said to Minister Omar, ``Please, investigate the lay magistrate system practised in the United Kingdom.'' There are 28 lay magistrates. We have the tribal system in this country. We have the lekgotla system just across the border. There are other systems, such as the chiefs system, which we have in this country. Having those legitimised - and it was on our agenda for discussion previously - we can reduce the case-load in our courts almost overnight, as long as those people do not demand a high payment, as the Minister said in his statement only yesterday when he turned the turf for a court in Delft.
I sincerely hope that by turning that turf, the people that will be funded in order to safeguard that court will not be police officers, because on any one day in this province 400 police officers have to be deployed in order to safeguard courts instead of being out on the street. I have to train them in order to put them out on streets as visible police officers. [Interjections.]
Currently in this province 37% of the prison population, which is now over 150% full, is awaiting-trial prisoners. Many of them are being incarcerated under intolerable and inhuman conditions at the moment, because they cannot get into the court system. Many of them are there because they quite simply cannot afford bail for having stolen fruit or something of that nature. Surely, what we need to do ... [Interjections] ... I cannot pay their bail ... [Time expired.] [Applause.]