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WesBank contract model causing undue delays in Gauteng SAPS vehicle repairs

The delivery of police services has been severely affected due to a lack of adequate police vehicles to provide necessary visible policing due to the contract entered by the National Treasury and WesBank, which has resulted in a complicated vehicle repairs model.

The National Treasury entered a contract with Wesbank on behalf of the South African Police Service (SAPS) for the maintenance and repairs of most SAPS vehicles. Wesbank took the responsibility of vehicle maintenance and repairs away from the SAPS garages.

This has created backlogs for simple repairs of up to 500 days in some cases. This not only puts the safety of the residents at risk but adds to the frustration and staff morale of the police officers to conduct visible policing and detective services.

According to some police stations, the WesBank contract allows for 30 days to access a breakdown and three months to appoint a service provider to fix the vehicle that must then still be assessed afterwards. This means that the police vehicles will be out of commission for months on end, and in some cases, tyres and wheels are stolen from parked vehicles even before work can be done on police vehicles.

In addition, 24 mechanic artisan posts have been vacant at the SAPS garages since 2016 that could have been used to repair the broken police vehicles.

This was revealed by the Gauteng MEC for Community Safety, Faith Mazibuko, in a written reply to the DA’s questions tabled in the Gauteng Provincial Legislature (GPL).

According to MEC Mazibuko, there are 16 SAPS garages in Gauteng, 205 mechanics in all the garages and 24 mechanic artisan posts that have been vacant since 2016.

It is unacceptable that the vacant mechanic posts have not been filled for almost six years. This has also resulted in police vehicles that are sent for repairs being kept at these garages for a long time due to a lack of an adequate number of mechanics to fix them. There is also too much workload for these mechanics due to unfilled vacancies.

This is greatly impacting the ability of police officers to provide visible policing to protect residents and prevent crime as vehicles sent for repairs are not returned to their respective police stations timeously.

This is quite harrowing considering that many mechanic graduates are sitting at home unemployed, yet the SAPS is sitting with 24 vacancies that can help change and better the lives of our people.

We believe the Department of Community Safety must review its contract with WesBank as it may be the main reason for the backlog in vehicle maintenance and repairs.

The safety of Gauteng residents is of utmost importance for the DA hence we demand that MEC Mazibuko and the Gauteng SAPS Lieutenant General Elias Mawela, must liaise with their national counterpart Minister of Police, Bheki Cele to ensure that these mechanic posts are filled as a matter of urgency. Shortage of police vehicles is a major challenge affecting many of our police stations.

This is one of many reasons why Minister Bheki Cele must go, he continues to fail our people due to his incompetency. The DA will continue to use all the mechanisms at our disposal in all spheres of government to force the President to fire Minister Cele as he is compromising the safety of our people and a danger to society.

 

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Under-resourced Eldorado Park SAPS is unable to ensure residents’ safety as gang shootings intensify

The safety of Eldorado residents is in danger due to the ongoing protests and gang shootings, yet the under-resourced Eldorado Park SAPS is unable to ensure the safety of the residents.

Like many other police stations across the province, this station is highly under-resourced and overburdened with crime incidents. This has affected its ability to swiftly curb crime, particularly the current gang shootings in the area.

The DA conducted an oversight inspection at the station as part of its 100-day #GautengPoliceWatch campaign.

Eldorado Park police officers have managed to keep the station in good condition, and their dedication has resulted in multiple arrests of suspects involved in gang shootings.

The DA demands that the Gauteng SAPS Provincial Commissioner, Lieutenant General Elias Mawela, must deploy more manpower and provide adequate resources at this station to ensure there is no hindrance to police service delivery.

Lieutenant General Elias Mawela must also intervene immediately to curb the gang shootings in the area.

The DA maintains that vigilantism and gangsterism require specialised resources to ensure that crime is addressed as a matter of urgency.

This can only happen if the Gauteng MEC for Community Safety, Faith Mazibuko, considers the DA’s Community Safety Oversight Bill, which will assist in improving police intelligence to be able to investigate and curb crime. The Bill will also give effect to an integrated approach to curb crime.

The DA also pleads with the community to remain calm and urges the Community Police Forums (CPF) and street patrollers to work with the SAPS in reporting any incidents of crime in the area.

When the DA takes over Gauteng, it will prioritise the training and employment of more policemen and women and ensure that more resources are provided to the law authorities so that they are able to do their job adequately and bring a sense of safety to our residents.

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Kwa-Thema residents at risk as police station likely to shut down

Kwa-Thema police station is in a state of disrepair due to years of neglect and the station will be forced to shut down as its dysfunctionality is beyond measure and the residents will be severely impacted with no access to police services.

Kwa-Thema SAPS is one of the worst stations in Gauteng. The DA conducted an oversight inspection at the police station as part of the DA’s #GautengPoliceWatch.

The offices, including that of the station commander, have been closed by the Department of Labour which has left the commander with no choice but to share a small office with his secretary.

The holding cells have not been working for 12 years ever since the station was declared unfit for human habitation by the Human Rights Commission.

Detainees are taken to an unsecured office where charges are drawn up before being transported to Dunnottar or Springs Police Stations. In one incident a detainee even grabbed an officer’s gun while she was busy with the paperwork.

This is unacceptable and highly dangerous.

Furthermore, the station canteen has been converted into a Community Service Centre (CSC) to service residents after the CSC was shut down by the Department of Labour. The toilets are out of order, and most of the roof ceilings are damaged and have fallen off.

See photos here, here, here, here and here

Two years ago, there were land swap/donation deal talks between the Department of Public Works and the Municipality but to date, there has been no progress on the issue.

Minister of Police Bheki Cele and the Gauteng MEC for Community Safety, Faith Mazibuko cares little about our police station’s infrastructure and the terrible working conditions that our police officers are exposed to on a daily basis.

The DA will continue to put pressure on MEC Mazibuko to engage Minister Cele to prioritize fixing the Kwa-Thema police station. A new building must be found to accommodate the police officers while the department decides on what to do with the old, damaged building. The community of Kwa-Thema cannot afford to not have adequate police services.

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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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MEC Mazibuko fails the victims and survivors of gender-based violence in Gauteng

 The Democratic Alliance (DA) in Gauteng is disappointed to learn that the Gauteng Department of Community Safety has consistently failed to roll out the Green Doors meant to ensure that the victims and survivors of gender-based violence receive prompt and effective services and toprevent secondary victimisation of the survivors.

This information was revealed in the department’s second quarter report for the 2020/21 financial year.

 A Green Door is a safe space in the community that is at least 5kms away from a police station and is run by community members. It offers debriefing, containment and referral to necessary stakeholders such as local NGOs, SAPS, and courts. Green Door is a link between the community and SAPS, and the victim can stay for up to 6 hours at the site.

 According to the second quarter report, the department had a target of rolling out nine Green Doors.

 This target was not achieved, and the department has not given a reason for the deviation. The department states that the ambassadors have been recruited and screened and that the procurement process is underway to ensure that the rollout happens before the end of the financial year.

This target was also not achieved in the first quarter of the 2020/21 financial year. The reasons given by the department for non-achievement is that due to lockdown, no Green Doors were erected because of the inaccessibility of the homes.

It is worrying that the department consistently fails to establish Green Doors despite the increase of gender-based violence cases across the country during the lockdown.

 The DA calls on the Gauteng MEC for Community Safety, Faith Mazibuko to ensure that these Green Doors are prioritised to provide adequate and effective service and support to the victims and survivors of gender-based violence. We will hold MEC Mazibuko accountable for the increase in cases of gender- based violence if these Green Doors are not erected as a matter of urgency.

 

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Failing ANC has no plan to fight crime and drugs

by Solly Msimanga – DA Gauteng Premier Candidate

The DA has noted the reckless and irresponsible comments by the MEC for Community Safety, Sizakele Nkosi-Malobane on the raids by members of the Berea community.

The MEC said the following: “I am delighted that finally, the communities of Gauteng are taking charge of their safety. The confiscation of drugs by community members is an indication that community members want to root out the scourge of drugs in their respective spaces.” The MEC’s comments are a clear indication that the ANC government has failed to ensure effective policing and are now looking to communities to defend themselves against criminals.

It remains the primary responsibility of government to ensure the safety of its citizens and it is unacceptable that MEC is calling on communities to do the job of the police. Communities taking the responsibility for their own safety by stepping in where the SAPS has failed, is becoming more noticeable in the province.

Through my listening tour, I have heard of members of Community Policing Forums (CPF) actively patrolling the streets in their neighbourhood without any means to protect themselves. In Tembisa I listened to local residents being victimised repeatedly by the same group of criminals without any action by the SAPS. Communities are feeling powerless and have lost faith in the police and have resorted to taking matters into their own hands. There is no urgency by the SAPS to respond to residents’ complaints and investigate cases.

While drugs and drug abuse are a huge problem in Gauteng, the DA would introduce specialised narcotics units to the SAPS to effectively deal with drug-related crimes. It is high-time that the residents of Gauteng are given the professional and efficient police service that they deserve.

We are also calling on communities to continue to provide SAPS with tip-offs and to report crime.

The DA is committed to bringing change to all residents in Gauteng, which the ANC government is clearly failing to do. A DA government will ensure that all police officers are professionally trained and effective in fighting crime.

Come 2019 when we govern Gauteng, we will fight corruption within the police, retrain police offices, hire people with a passion for policing and institute an effective drug-busting unit within SAPS.

We stand ready to bring change through an honest and professional police service.

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Victims Of Crime Should Not Be Treated As Second Class Citizens

The dreadful taxi-rape saga, which has emboldened more and more victims of this ghastly crime to come forward, has highlighted the horrendous treatment of victims of rape by members of the South African Police Service (SAPS).

Most of the victims of these crimes have expressed how they were pushed from pillar to post by members of the SAPS when trying to report what had happened to them. Often they were told to go to different police stations as they had arrived at the “wrong” station.

This is absolutely unacceptable as a crime can, and should, be reported at any station. Once a case number is issued, the matter can be transferred to any station for investigation.

This lack of concern was reiterated by the MEC for Community Safety, Sizakele Nkosi-Malobane, who admitted that the SAPS had not acted in the victim’s best interests.

MEC Nkosi-Malobane, as the head of community safety in Gauteng must ensure that SAPS members treat all victims of crime with the respect that they deserve.

Secondary victimisation by SAPS officers prevents many cases from being reported and inflicts further trauma on victims of crime.

The DA has called on the MEC to work with the Department of Social Development to send SAPS members on sensitivity training. The MEC must take this call to heart, as victims of crime are our families and loved ones – they are humans, not just statistics.

 

 

Media Enquiries
 
 
 
John Moodey MPL
DA Gauteng Provincial Leader
082 960 3743
 
Warren Gwilt
DA Economic Cluster Manager
073 601 6144
 
 
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Soweto Taxi Rape Demands Inquiry In Gauteng Legislature

I am shocked and disturbed by news today that a female passenger in a Soweto taxi was raped over an extended period of time on Sunday, in full view of her young child.

It is more alarming though, that reports of similar incidents recently have not resulted in action from the SAPS. Some victims have complained of little interest from the Police, which is a shocking failure of the SAPS to protect our residents.

I will therefore write to the Chairperson of the Gauteng Community Safety committee to summon Provincial Police Commissioner Major General Deliwe Suzan De Lange to come and account before the Legislature under oath.

We just cannot accept that people continue to be raped, in captive situations like locked taxis, and that the police are not acting. The SAPS must protect and serve us.

It is not up to taxi associations alone to root out these criminals, and the MEC has today misdirected her demand to the taxi association to solve this crime. It is up to the SAPS to fight crime, and the DA will ensure that the SAPS acts.

 

 

Media Enquiries

Kate Lorimer MPL
DA Gauteng Shadow MEC of Safety and Security
083 642 2727