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Gauteng residents continue to suffer due to a shortage of ambulances, yet a fleet of brand new ambulance are gathering dust

Gauteng residents continue to suffer, and in some cases, lives are lost, due to a shortage of ambulances. Yet, there is a fleet of brand new ambulances parked at the Dunnottar Clinic in Nigel, Ekurhuleni.

It is unacceptable that lives are put in danger because of a slow emergency line response while a fleet of G-set ambulances is abandoned at the Dunnottar Clinic.

These ambulances have been abandoned at Dunnottar Clinic for five months without being dispatched to their respective clinics.

This was discovered during the DA’s oversight inspection of the clinic.

Please see the photos here, here, and here.

The DA has received numerous complaints from whistle-blowers that ambulances take up to 3 to 8 hours to respond to an emergency.

We also conducted an oversight inspection at the Angelo Kater depot where there are at least 50 abandoned ambulances. We were informed that these ambulances are waiting to be refurbished and get minor repairs.

The DA demands answers from the Gauteng MEC for Health, Nomathemba Mokgethi, on why a fleet of brand new ambulances has been abandoned at the clinic while there is a shortage of ambulances in the province. We also want to know when the ambulances at Angelo Kater depot will be fixed.

This current government is gambling with the lives of our people, and we will not allow it to happen. We demand that MEC Mokgethi ensures that these ambulances are dispatched to their respective clinics to serve our residents. The DA is the only party that is prepared to save lives and ensure that emergency services are adequately resourced.

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Yet again, the true reflection of crime against Gauteng farmers is not highlighted in the first quarter of 2022/23 crime stats 

The failure by the Minister of Police, Bheki Cele, to include detailed crime stats on farm murders and attacks in Gauteng during the first quarter crime stats for the 2022/23 financial year indicates his incompetency and disregard for our farming community.

Even though the crime stats highlight stock theft and business robberies, crimes against farmers should have been included. Failure to include these stats downplays the severity of crimes against farmers.

Crime stats should reflect the rural safety crime stats every quarter. An attack on a farmer is an attack on our economy.

On several occasions, the DA has submitted written questions about the farm murders and attacks to the Gauteng MEC for Community Safety, Faith Mazibuko in the Gauteng Provincial Legislature (GPL).

Her response reflected that there were 24 farm murders in Gauteng for the fourth quarter of the 2021/22 financial year which were not shown in the crime stats.

It is concerning that the Minister has yet again failed to include these stats even though farmers in areas like Tshwane, Sedibeng and the West Rand are suffering due to increased cases of farm attacks.

Gauteng farmers are under attack; therefore, the adoption of the DA’s Community Safety Bill is the only solution to ensure the safety of all our farmers across the province.

The Bill aims to bring an integrated approach to curbing crime. It will improve police intelligence and find practical solutions that will protect farmers and agricultural holdings.

It is high time that the Gauteng Department of Community Safety replicates the DA’s Midvaal Rural Safety Strategy and the Western Cape Rural Safety Plan to assist farmers with technological developments, farming competency and safety.

The DA proposes that MEC Mazibuko implements an inter-departmental approach between her department, Economic Development and Agriculture, to institutionalise rural safety as a departmental priority. It should also establish a rural safety desk, where the department can utilise scientific data to map crime trends and identify hotspot areas.

We cannot fight crime alone. We need to work hand-in-hand with our farming communities and other accredited experts in the field to not only prioritise rural safety within Gauteng but actively ensure that our farmers are protected.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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DA lodges complaint against EFF over their involvement in land grabs in Olievenhoutbosch

Today, I lodged a complaint with the office of the Public Protector’s office regarding the EFF’s involvement in the land grabs that took place in Olievenhoutbosch last week.

Please see full details of the complaint here_

This act by the EFF is very worrisome as the land that was invaded is private property and another part belongs to Eskom.

While we acknowledge that housing is a problem, it is unacceptable that our residents who are in desperate need of dignified houses are used as political football.

Urgent intervention is needed in this matter. During a recent oversight visit to the area that was invaded, we were told that the EFF had held numerous meetings in the area to discuss the land invasion.

The DA will be closely monitoring the progress of this investigation and we will leave no stone unturned in this matter. Those behind this land grab must face the full might of the law and be brought to justice.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Minister Cele’s failure to support Gauteng SAPS has led to these alarming crime stats

The Minister of Police, Bheki Cele and the MEC of Community Safety, Faith Mazibuko must account for neglecting Gauteng police stations which have severely affected the gruesomely alarming Gauteng crime stats.

Gauteng is the largest crime contributor with 27.4% of the national crime stats that was released last week.

Gauteng police stations are barely functional because of a lack of adequate resources and infrastructure challenges. The working conditions that our police officers are exposed to on a daily basis are terrible and they affect the delivery of police services.

The above has yet again been reflected in the Gauteng crime stats for the first quarter of the 2022/23 financial year which were released today.

Kidnapping has increased by 136% which means that over 21 children are kidnapped in the province per day.

The report has also revealed that at least 33 people are murdered or are the victims of attempted murder per day over 90 days.

Below are the increased crimes in the province:

Kidnapping 136% increase 1909 reported cases
Murder 24.5% increase 1490 reported cases
Attempted murder 22.3% increase 1434 reported cases
Carjackings 15.1% increase 3113 reported cases
Theft 6.2% increase 17870 reported cases

 

Moreover, women remain the most vulnerable to contact crimes such as rape and murder with a total of 12 884 crimes and a 52% and 100% increase respectively.

Gauteng police stations in the top 40 with the highest increases for serious crimes include Jeppe 18.4%, Tsakane 16.5%, Krugersdorp 15.3%, Pretoria West 13%, Florida 9.7%, Lyttleton 9.5%, Kempton Park 10.1%, Mamelodi East 8.6%.

The DA has on numerous occasions insisted for the SAPS vacancies to be filled and to date, the vacancy rate remains high.

Our police stations cannot successfully curb crime without sufficient support and resources. In Gauteng, 143 police stations need to service more than 15 million people. Every year, the budget goes up, the number of police officer’s declines while the population increases and more so does crime.

Crime rises, and some police stations are closed, instead of new stations being opened.

Unlike Minister Bheki Cele, the DA in Gauteng launched its #GautengPoliceWatch campaign in July, and so far, we have seen the horrible state of our police stations.

Cele cannot be expected to curb crime while he enjoys a fancy parliamentary office. Solutions to curb crime can only be found on the ground by engaging with the communities and police officials.

Minister Cele and MEC Mazibuko have failed the residents of Gauteng, and they must vacate office and give leaders who care for the safety of our people to serve them.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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More needs to be done to recover millions spent on Gauteng blue light SAPS tender

Gauteng police stations are battling to deliver police services to their communities due to a lack of much-needed resources because of mismanagement of state funds and corruption.

The R191 million tender that was irregularly awarded by the SAPS to a service provider to supply and fit blue lights and sirens for Gauteng police vehicles came as a financial setback for the provincial police service.

The DA welcomes the work done so far by the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) to expropriate assets worth R75 million at the homes of the former Gauteng Provincial Commissioner Khomotso Phahlane and six other senior police officials implicated in this corruption.

However, this has taken too long because it has been seven years since these officials have been allegedly implicated in this controversial multi-million rand “blue light” scandal.

Police stations across Gauteng are barely functional due to a severe lack of resources and personnel.

The DA has witnessed the injustice done by the Department of Community Safety to our police services through our 100-day #GautengPoliceWatch tour to give sufficient support to our stations.

Most police stations do not have enough vehicles to do visible policing which impacts negatively on the work of police officers.

The DA commends this significant breakthrough and believes that if there is more corruption within Gauteng SAPS, it should be exposed without any delays.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Crime stats: motorists’ safety under attack as Gauteng leads in carjacking cases

The safety of Gauteng motorists is under attack as the first quarter of the 2022/23 financial year crime stats reported 3113 car hijackings.

The report revealed that 22 Gauteng police stations are among the top 30 stations most affected by carjacking cases nationally.

Carjacking cases in Gauteng have increased from 2 704 in the first quarter of the 2021/2022 financial year to 3113 in the first quarter of the 2022/23 financial year. This means that carjackings have increased by 409 cases which indicates that the lives of motorists are in danger.

These crime stats for the first quarter of the 2022/23 financial year were released by the Minister of Police, Bheki Cele on Friday.

The below table indicates the increase in various crimes in Gauteng in the first quarter of the 2022/23 financial year:

Crimes  First quarter of the 2021/22 financial year (April-June 2021) First quarter of the 2021/22 financial year (April-June 2021) Increase 
Kidnapping 809 1099 1100
Robbery of cash in transit 12 18
Stock theft 231 270 39
Truck hijacking 245 302 57
Trio Crimes 6206 6511 305
Murder 1197 1490 293

The above crime stats indicate that there is an urgent need for intervention as every hour a person is harmed or killed when a carjacking occurs.

The only solution to curb these increases in crime is for the Gauteng Provincial Government to adopt the DA’s Community Safety Bill to ensure that there is an increase in police intelligence to combat crime.

Our police stations are under-resourced and not well equipped to ensure police visibility and fight crime.
Furthermore, over the past month, the DA’s 100-day #GautengPoliceWatch tour has given insight into the struggles of all the police stations across the province.

The DA proposed the Community Oversight Bill and will continue to push until it is adopted as it aims to bring an integrated approach to curbing crime.

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Lack of prioritization of crimes against women leaves no room to celebrate Women’s Day

On this Women’s Day, we are supposed to be celebrating freedom, but we should bow our heads in shame as our provincial government has failed the women of Gauteng, who are still the biggest victims of rape, murder, assault, and serious crimes.

The recent crime statistics showed an increase in crime against women, with a 48% increase in women being murdered, a 72% increase in attempted murder against women, 16,5% increase in rape, 37% increase in sexual assault and a 138% increase in contact sexual offences against women.

For a period from January 2022 to March 2022, at least two women were murdered every day and one woman was raped or sexually assaulted every hour. This is a tragic situation, where we should be mourning the suffering on a day that should be used for celebrations.

The Democratic Alliance (DA) has in recent months as part of the #DAGautengPoliceWatch campaign visited various police stations, and part of this campaign is to inspect the Victim Empowerment Centers (VEC) at the stations.

The majority of these VECs are not funded by the department, and those which are functioning, are because of the funding and support received from NGOs.

At the Jeppe Station, the VEC did not even have a private ablution facility, a bed or a private interview area, whereas in Sophiatown, the VEC had a private ablution facility, but the light was filled with water, which is a safety risk.

Furthermore, in Soshanguve, there are also no private ablutions nor a bed and in some stations, the room was cold, dark, and impersonal with a lack of resources.

Rape does not occur during business hours, and these centers should be open 24 hours, yet due to the lack of resources and support from the Department of Community Safety, it is impossible for the police to keep these centers open for 24 hours.

Utterances by Minister Bheki Cele, “luckily they were only raped once” is a clear indication that crimes against women are not prioritized nor does the budget speak to these elements.

We need to find tangible solutions, for the police not having the resources to equip the centers as well as do a proper investigation as to why crime against women are on the rise, and why these crimes result in very few prosecutions.

The DA believes that the Department needs to open to a whole society approach, where experts, NGOs, faith-based organisations and various other stakeholders take up their hands together and be allowed to assist.

These VECs should be opened for “adoption” where communities and stakeholders can assist with the resources, operations and facilitation of support and assistance to victims of crime.

The DA calls on the MEC for Community Safety, Faith Mazibuko to establish a GBV advisory committee, with the task to investigate and interrogate crime trends against women and children within Gauteng.

The committee will also identify hotspots, challenges and contributing factors.

This committee should consist of experts in the field, both from the community safety department, police force, social workers, NGOs dealing with GBV and other relevant expert stakeholders.

We cannot continue to turn a blind eye to gender-based violence and the rising crime stats against women in our province. We need to get to the root of the problem and find tangible solutions.

 

 

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Detectives travelling with dockets between Sunnyside, Central SAPS are at a high risk

The Democratic Alliance(DA) is concerned over dockets at Sunnyside and Pretoria Central police stations that are at a high risk of being stolen or lost as detectives travelling with dockets between the two stations.

During an oversight inspection at Sunnyside SAPS as part of the DA’s 100-day #PoliceWatchCampaign to assess the state of the police stations in the province, we discovered that detectives from Pretoria Central had to be relocated to Sunnyside due to dilapidating infrastructure.

The detectives’ health is also endangered due to mould and an unbearable stench from the leaking sewer in the building.

This may have been a good interim solution, however, there is no adequate space for all these officials at Sunnyside SAPS.

Up to six detectives are sharing an office built to accommodate only two people.

Unfortunately, they could not move the filing cabinets from Pretoria Central to Sunnyside, so the detectives are forced to travel with dockets daily.

This is irresponsible and puts the officials lives at a high risk as dockets could be stolen from the officials’ vehicles.

Moreover, there are at least 10 detectives who do not have an allocated table to work on. The detectives take turns at the available desks to work while others sit in the passages and wait for a table.

This further adds pressure on the internet as there are not enough internet lines for all the computers. Sunnyside SAPS has no capacity to accommodate officials from Pretoria Central and this affects the workflow and service delivery.

The DA will write to the Gauteng MEC of Community Safety, Faith Mazibuko, to engage with the Department of Public Works to ensure that infrastructure-related issues at Pretoria Central SAPS are urgently fixed.

Detectives from Sunnyside, Pretoria Central SAPS not only need their dignity back, but they also require the cases they are working on to be secured.

The DA will continue putting pressure on the Department of Community Safety to fully support police stations for Gauteng residents to get adequate police services.

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DA’s Community Safety Bill only solution to curb the spate of shootings in Gauteng

The only solution to curb the violent spates of shooting in Gauteng is to adopt the Democratic Alliance’s (DA) Community Safety Bill, which will assist in improving police intelligence to be able to investigate and curb these incidents.

The Bill would give effect to an integrated approach to curb crime. It will include all stakeholders in the law enforcement agencies, such as the South African Police Service (SAPS), metro police, Community Policing Forum (CPF), security companies, neighbourhood watches and street patrollers.

Yesterday, a further 20 people were shot dead during these unexplainable and vicious attacks. Sixteen people were killed in a gang feud between two illegal mining gangs in Soweto, and the other four were killed in Lenasia.

This is the fifth incident in Gauteng within a week which makes the public wonder whether it is by an organized crime syndicate.

The Bill will also regulate the Gauteng Provincial Government’s powers and functions regarding its oversight function over the police services.

The residents of Gauteng no longer have confidence in our police system, and it is through this Bill that will rebuild the trust between residents and the SAPS.

Through the DA’s #GautengPoliceWatch campaign, we will be engaging with the police and community members to establish better ways that will assist the police in preventing and fighting crime.

The DA demands that the Gauteng MEC for Community Safety, Faith Mazibuko, must liaise with the Gauteng Provincial SAPS Commissioner, Lieutenant General Elias Mawela, and the Minister of Police, Bheki Cele to deploy the public order police in the province. They should also deploy the under-utilised police resources in Gauteng to ensure increased police visibility in areas where there is an increase in crime.

We will continue to monitor the progress concerning the allocation of additional SAPS resources in Gauteng by Minister Cele. It is long overdue, as for far too long, the DA’s plea for allocation of additional resources for SAPS has been ignored.

The DA would like to send its deepest condolences to all the families that lost their loved ones because of these shootings.

We also urge the community members not to be discouraged but to continue to speak up and share information with the police. Together we can win the fight against crime.

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Gauteng Police Station ratings indicate poor police service delivery

The severe increase in serious and violent crimes in the province and a lack of adequate resources at our police stations have resulted in Gauteng police stations receiving a poor rating.

Out of the 144 police stations in Gauteng, only 5 were ranked excellent, 5 were ranked good, 121 police stations were ranked fair, and 12 police stations were ranked very poor.

This information was revealed in a report to the Select Committee on Security and Justice in the National Council of Provinces.

The fact that 121 police stations in Gauteng received a fair rating raises various concerns about the safety and security of the communities in which they are rendering police services.

Most Gauteng police stations are facing severe challenges such as deteriorating infrastructure, a lack of proper and regular maintenance, and a shortage of police vehicles and personnel, which is hampering police service delivery.

The DA’s recent oversight inspections at several police stations confirmed that the Department of Public Works and Infrastructure is constantly failing to maintain and budget for important elements such as holding cells, water and sanitation upgrades, and general maintenance.

Crime cannot be addressed accordingly if basic matters like upgrades and maintenance of the police stations are not prioritized and addressed.

Furthermore, we are of the view that this report needs additional analysis with more details attached for each station so as to ascertain exactly what requires attention for a maintenance plan to be compiled and budgeted for to address each station based on the seriousness of the issues.

A well-equipped and functional work environment is essential for police officers to feel dignified and motivated to combat crime.

The DA will embark on its own oversight tour to each of the 144 police stations in Gauteng to assess within the next 100 days the risks, challenges, and possible solutions.

Police stations are supposed to be safe havens for victims of crime, a place where they can walk in and immediately feel that they are protected and cared for. This is not the case, and these ratings prove it.

The DA believes that we should identify ways to improve police working conditions to empower and equip officers to execute their mandate.