DEBATE ON COMMUNITY SAFETY BY HON MB GWALA, IFP MPL Wednesday, 10 December 2014 Hon Speaker, Today we are debating the issue of Community Safety, an issue that relates to the safety of the people of this Province. Although the MEC, uMhlonishwa uWillies Mchunu is trying to come up with plans to make people of this province feel safe, we as the IFP we are of the view that much more still needs to be done as our people all over this province do not feel safe even in their own homes. There is still high rate of crime and house breaking which make our people feel unsafe in their homes. The MEC and his department must devise strategic plans that will ensure that police and law enforcement agencies are always one step ahead of criminals to order to ensure that their devious plans do not succeed. As the IFP we want to urge the police to be fair to all the citizens of our province when it comes to crime. I make this appeal against the backdrop of rewards being offered when an ANC member is killed but this has never happened when members of other political parties are killed. We then ask the question as to whether some citizens are more important than others. If the police wants to earn the respect and co-operation of the communities that they serve, then must display fairness in the manner in which they do their work. We make an appeal to the police to treat all cases equally irrespective of who the victims are. It must be the aim of the police to ensure that no murder goes unresolved The IFP is also concerned about the MECs failure to intervene in Glebelands Hostel where people were slaughtered. The MEC was the last person to make comments about that issue which made us questioned the credibility of the MEC. Furthermore the MEC must be clear about the plans to get rid of farm killings. Farmers are victims of crime and are being driven off their land thus threatening food security not only for our province but for the country as a whole. This must be addressed urgently. The MEC must further tell us why the KZN Police Commissioner Mammonye Ngobeni is still performing her duties as her contract had expired last month? We need to know if the Commissioners contract will be renewed and if so what possible motivation can the MEC have to do so considering her dismal performance in bringing crime under control in this province. We are also reminded that there are dark clouds hanging over the head of the Commissioner regarding her dubious association with certain businessmen who are alleged to have paid for the lavish birthday party for her husband. The MEC must also tell this House what is being done to stop police killings. In his report the MEC refers to 145 police personnel who have been killed. The killing of even one police officer is one too many. Criminals seem to have no respect for law and order. They seem to have no regard for the presence of police officers and dont think twice before killing a police officer. This cannot go on and there has to be a strategy to ensure the safety of police personnel. I found it very strange to hear a radio advertisement where the MEC was calling on communities to protect the police. It is the police who are being paid by tax payers money to protect the communities in which they are based. They are trained and have resources at their disposal to do their work and they must be out there protecting our people - not the other way around. Whilst saying this I do understand that community policing forums, war rooms and other community structures have a vital role in assisting police in their work. These organisations must be the eyes and ears of the police because criminals reside in communities and law abiding people from those very communities must see it as their civic duty to provide information that will lead to the arrest and conviction of criminals. But communities will only do this if they feel that they can trust the police by giving information. Another factor that is of concern to the IFP is the increasing number of police officers killing their loved ones and then committing suicide. This trend seems to emanate from the highly stressful environment in which police personnel operate. This is a matter with serious consequences for families of police officers and requires urgent attention. The Department must also ensure that police personnel are provide with the appropriate tools of trade to do their work effectively. Police vehicles are often found to be unroadworthy and inadequate to service the policing area. We are further concerned about the abuse of state vehicles by police officers like in Nkandla and eSikhaleni where some police management have turned state vehicles to their family cars while other police officer left without any cars to respond to crime scenes. This must come to an end because it puts people lives at risk and it is just the abuse of state resources. I thank you, Contact: Mr Blessed Gwala, IFP Leader in the KZN Legislature, MPL 078 290 5842 Date: 11 December 2014
Posted on: Thu, 11 Dec 2014 09:25:28 +0000
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