Premier racks up policing successes in first 100 days

FIGHTING crime and building safer communities formed part of Kwazulu-natal Premier Nomusa Dube-ncube’s 100 days since being in office.

On Tuesday, Dube-ncube delivered a report reflecting on her time at the helm.

Dube-ncube said that within the 100 days, working with the police under the leadership of Transport, Community Safety and Liaison MEC Sipho Hlomuka and provincial police commissioner Lieutenant-general Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi, they have mobilised community safety structures such as the KZN Community Crime Prevention Association, Community Police Forum Board and Community Police Forum Youth Desk.

She said that since August 2022 successes have been recorded in the following areas:

Ngudwini multimillion-rand drug bust

Machinery and drugs worth millions of rand were confiscated following a raid by the Organised Crime Investigation and Narcotics Unit.

Swift action by the police led to the discovery of this drug laboratory.

“We will continue to ensure that such operations take place frequently since drugs are one of the key drivers of crime,” Dube-ncube said.

Recovery of illegal firearms and ammunition

“In the past 90 days, police have discovered at least 97 illegal firearms and 2 000 (rounds of) ammunition.

“In one incident which occurred in Empangeni, police were in a shoot-out with criminals.

“Subsequently, the homeowner aged 45 and a security guard aged 36 died at the scene following the brazen shoot-out.

“We cannot allow criminals to take over our streets willy-nilly. The rule of law must always be exercised.

“No criminal act is going to go unpunished. The state is duty bound to protect its people and we assure our citizens that we are equal to the task,” Dube-ncube said.

The premier shared these a day before Police Minister General Bheki Cele was expected to present the quarterly crime statistics, reflecting on crimes reported to the SAPS from July 1, 2022, to September 30, 2022.