Gauteng residents beset by crime
THE economic powerhouse of our country, Gauteng, is under siege as violent crime surges.
According to the third quarter of the 2023/2024 Crime Statistics, almost 1 800 people were murdered in the last three months of last year, 214 of them women and 55 children, indicating that the provincial government is failing to tackle crime.
Public confidence in law enforcement is declining, resulting in vigilantism. Community-led actions resulted in nearly 90 murder cases.
The statistics show that the province is experiencing high crime rates despite the countless commitments Premier Panyaza Lesufi made to fight crime, lawlessness and vandalism.
Residents live in constant danger of violent robberies in their homes, brazen hijackings, petty thievery and severe gender-based violence.
Two of its cities, Pretoria and Johannesburg, are ranked second and fourth respectively among the top five most dangerous cities in the world, according to the 2024 Crime Index by City.
When Lesufi began the 2023 State of the Province Address, he focused on the fight against crime through the five-year Gauteng Policing Plan and increasing the resources available to police stations. The promise has never been fulfilled.
There are only 143 police stations for 16 million individuals, with an average vacancy rate of 23% to 45% within critical positions. Many of our police stations are closed at night and suffer from inadequate maintenance, understaffing and a lack of resources.
Lesufi has, however, unleashed Crime Prevention Safety Wardens, aka Amapanyaza, whose quality of training and legitimacy are questionable. Their presence has not deterred the sharp rise in major crimes. The wardens’ lack of training and regulatory framework renders their presence a liability.
Had he bothered to defer to the DA in the Western Cape, he would have discovered that such an undertaking requires one to get the basics of law enforcement right before implementation. A comprehensive examination of the programme remains necessary to establish whether Gauteng taxpayers are getting value for their money.
Coinciding with the green-clad wardens was the announcement to introduce drones, CCTV cameras and panic buttons, all of which have done little to nothing to serve Gauteng residents who continue to live in fear.
For the hi-tech crime prevention tactics to be effective, the Gauteng government must fix the basics.
The DA has a plan. Our plans do not focus on sophisticated technology, which the government can barely afford. Instead, we deem it necessary to address the basics first by ensuring that we improve our police service and its working conditions.
The first step towards a safer community will be to enhance policing by pressuring the national government to devolve authority over the SAPS from the national to the provincial level, ensuring better and faster recruitment, selection, training, placement and performance management.
In addition, if the DA is voted in to govern the province, it would create stronger relationships between law enforcement agencies and specialised crime-fighting units.
We would also partner with municipalities in implementing a programme like the Western Cape Leap programme to increase police presence.