Cyclists under siege due to insufficient police visibility

Cyclists and joggers on Tshwane roads are under threat following several reported incidents of cyclists and joggers being attacked.

There has been an increase in the theft of bicycles as opportunistic criminals are targeting cyclists, yet the police are not doing enough to ensure their safety.

In recent incidents, two cyclists were knocked by a motor vehicle, and then robbed of their bicycles. The incident occurred in Elarduspark, Pretoria East.

Another incident was also reported in Nelmapius where a cyclist was also involved in an accident where he was knocked by a motor vehicle, and they robbed him of his bicycle.

In another incident, a woman was hijacked along Boeing Road in Nelmapius, and they took her bicycle and a phone. The incident was reported at Lyttelton police station where she opened a case.

The hotspots where cyclists and joggers are being robbed are roads surrounding Groenkloof Nature Reserve; Botha; Jean; Olievenhoutbosch; Witch-Hazel; Migmatite; Van Ryneveld; East of Pretoria; Boschkop; Moreleta; Waterkloof; Faerie Glen. Other hotspots areas include Centurion, Irene, Highveld and Lyttelton and surrounding areas.

The DA is demanding that the Gauteng MEC for Community Safety, Faith Mazibuko must ensure police visibility and an increase in road patrols, especially along the identified hot-spot routes.

For the longest time, the DA has been calling on both MEC Mazibuko and the Gauteng MEC for Sports, Arts, Culture and Recreation, Mbali Hlophe to develop a safety plan to ensure the safety of cyclists and athletes. The routes used by the cyclists and joggers are mostly known and should be patrolled on a regular basis.

The DA also urges cyclists and joggers to cycle and jog in large groups and to ensure that no one is isolated during this time.

We will be tabling written questions to both MEC Mazibuko and MEC Hlophe to ascertain what safety measures are being put in place to ensure the safety of the cyclists and joggers on our roads. We also want to ascertain how many cases have been opened by cyclists and joggers and of these cases how many have resulted in arrests and convictions.

The DA will continue to apply pressure on MEC Mazibuko to ensure that the safety and security of cyclists and joggers are a priority and to ensure maximum police visibility.

 

Murders of women on the rise in Orange Farm: SAPS not doing enough

Three women have been found dead in the last three weeks in Orange Farm, Johannesburg which is a clear indication that women are in danger, yet the law enforcement agencies and the Gauteng Department of Community Safety are not doing enough to curb the scourge of gender-based violence and femicide as well as to ensure that the perpetrators are apprehended.

In the latest incident, a burnt woman’s body was discovered in an open veld at Lake Side, Orange Farm Extension 2. Women and children in the area are now living in fear of their lives as they are targets based on the number of people that have been murdered so far.

The community of Orange Farm is blaming the government, particularly the Department of Community Safety and SAPS for not doing enough to educate the community about gender-based violence and femicide. The community has taken it upon themselves to hold gender-based violence forums in partnership with the local stakeholders however this is not enough without the government’s intervention.

The Orange Farm police station is among the top 30 police stations nationwide that have seen increases in terms of murder cases. This police station is number 22 and has had a huge increase in murder cases with 38 murders-an increase of 12 cases in the third quarter of the 2021/22 financial year compared to the period October to December of the 2020/21 financial year which had 26 cases.

Orange Farm has also recorded a huge increase in carjacking cases from 41 cases in the third quarter of the previous financial year to 68 in the current financial year.

Furthermore, the Department of Community Safety is constantly failing to meet its target to provide support to the victims of gender-based violence and femicide. According to the department’s third-quarter report for the 2021/22 financial year, 2,320 gender-based violence and femicide victims received support compared to the target of 3,000. The department provided no reason for the deviation which shows its incompetency in dealing with issues of gender-based violence.

The DA will engage the City of Johannesburg to intervene through community awareness initiatives on gender-based violence and femicide.

We will write to the Gauteng MEC for Community Safety, Faith Mazibuko demanding her urgent intervention in Orange Farm to ensure that the law enforcement agencies are proactive in dealing with the scourge of gender-based violence in the area. As the political head of the department, the MEC must respond to the community’s plea to visit the area and engage them on crime-related issues.

DA believes that the Gauteng Provincial Legislature’s (GPL) adoption of the DA’s Community Safety Oversight Bill will assist to improve police intelligence in dealing with the perpetrators of gender-based violence and femicide. The intelligence unit working on gender-based violence cases must be well equipped with adequate resources to be able to thoroughly investigate cases and provide tangible evidence to be used for prosecutions in court.

The safety of our people, particularly the most vulnerable, such as women and children is of utmost importance, and we will continue to put pressure on the government to ensure their safety and security.

DA closer to winning the battle of declaring Gauteng Traffic Police an essential service to ensure 24-hour monitoring of Gauteng roads

The Democratic Alliance (DA) in Gauteng is closer to winning the battle of declaring the Gauteng Traffic Police an essential service to ensure 24-hour monitoring of Gauteng roads and the safety of road users.

This follows a public announcement by the Minister of Transport, Fikile Mbalula on the Road Traffic Management Corporation Twitter page which states the following “We must move with speed to finalise outstanding processes that will enable us to declare traffic policing a 24-hour, 7-day job. I appeal to those of you who have yet to conclude your respective processes to do so with speed.”

This is a step in the right direction as the lives of motorists are in danger because there is no monitoring of Gauteng roads at night as the Gauteng Traffic Police does not operate 24 hours a day.

For the longest time, the DA has consistently been demanding that the Gauteng Department of Community Safety must declare the Gauteng Traffic Police an essential service to ensure 24-hour monitoring of our roads.

The Gauteng MEC for Community Safety, Faith Mazibuko informed me through written replies to my questions tabled in the Gauteng Provincial Legislature (GPL) that there are ongoing discussions between organized labour, the Road Traffic Management Corporation and Provincial Traffic Management with regards to the issue.

Declaring Gauteng Traffic Police an essential service will benefit both the department and the Gauteng Traffic Police by reducing the excessive expenditure on overtime, improving working conditions and increasing benefits for the traffic police.

The DA believes that the discussions are at a critical stage hence Minister Mbalula has made the announcement and we are optimistic that the ongoing discussions will be finalized soon for the benefit of the traffic police and Gauteng road users.

This is critical if we want to reduce the number of hijackings that take place on our roads, particularly where spike strips are being used.

The safety of all road users is critical, and the DA will continue to put pressure on both the national and provincial governments to declare the Gauteng Traffic Police an essential service. We will also be writing to MEC Mazibuko to ascertain the progress regarding the ongoing discussions to ensure that it yields positive results.

Stretched Germiston SAPS resources are inadequate to ensure the safety of the growing population

The Germiston police station’s stretched resources are insufficient to ensure the security and safety of its residents due to the increasing population and the influx of in-migration into the area.

This police station has experienced a decline in the number of personnel compared to the previous years, it has dropped from 305 to 264- this includes police officers, administration staff and cleaners.

The Democratic Alliance (DA) conducted an oversight inspection at the Germiston Police Station today and met with dedicated police officers who are unable to execute their duties to the fullest due to the shortage of resources which is putting the safety of the residents at risk.

This police station does not have sufficient police vehicles as it has a total of 63 vehicles of which 14 have been taken to the mechanical workshops for repairs.

There is an increase in the population as Germiston is expanding in terms of new housing developments. Germiston is also a central location that is connecting people to different local and long-distance transport nodes which has resulted in an influx of people moving into and out of the area which has had a huge impact on crime.

There is also a challenge with regards to vacant buildings that are being used for criminal activities and several homeless people are involved in crime activities. There are many liquor outlets and liquor licenses are being issued without proper consultation and verification as to whether the environment is compliant according to the Gauteng Liquor Act.

According to the SAPS crime statistics for the third quarter of the 2021/22 financial year, carjackings have increased by 70.5 percent and attempted murder by 18.2 percent compared to the third quarter of the previous financial year in the precinct of the Germiston Police Station.

The DA demands that both the Gauteng MEC for Community Safety, Faith Mazibuko and Gauteng SAPS Provincial Commissioner, Lieutenant General Elias Mawela urgently liaise with their national counterpart Minister of Police, Bheki Cele to ensure that adequate resources are allocated to SAPS. The Minister must use the current census as a benchmark in terms of allocating resources to police stations.

The DA will also engage all our Mayors across Gauteng to ensure that they involve the police stations in their areas in the Integrated Development Plan as new developments have an impact on security and safety in terms of resources. We will adopt the intergovernmental approach to address crime and promote safety in Gauteng.

We will also engage the Gauteng Provincial Government to ensure that empty provincial government buildings be converted into emergency housing for homeless people. This will go a long way in contributing towards safety and rehabilitation targets.

1169 out-of-service SAPS vehicles leaves police without much-needed resources to ensure GP residents’ safety

The delivery of police services has been severely affected in Gauteng as there are 1169 out-of-service police vehicles. The inadequate number of police vehicles puts the safety of the residents at risk, leaving South African Police Service (SAPS) officers with fewer vehicles for visibility patrol, detective services and support services.

 It is unacceptable as it has resulted in police not being able to attend emergency crime scenes and has negatively impacted the work of the police officers.

This information was revealed by the Minister of Police, Bheki Cele in a written reply to the DA’s questions in the National Assembly.

According to Minister Cele, there are 569 out-of-service vehicles in visible policing, 491 out-of-service vehicles in detective services and 109 out-of-service vehicles in support services. In total, there are 1169 out-of-service vehicles in Gauteng.

 There are police stations that are severely affected by a lack of adequate vehicles in visible policing, detective services and support services. Vereeniging has 14 out-of-service vehicles for visible policing with only 20 operational vehicles; Lenasia has 10 out-of-service vehicles and only nine operational vehicles; De Deur has 10 out-of-service vehicles, and 11 operational vehicles and Krugersdorp has 12 out-of-service vehicles and only 22 operational vehicles. In terms of detective services vehicles, Mondeor has nine out-of-service vehicles and 12 operational vehicles; Ekangala has seven out-of-service vehicles and seven operational vehicles, and Bramley has five out-of-service vehicles and five operational vehicles. In terms of support services, Laudium, Dube, Doornkop, Eersterust and Vaal Marina all have one out-of-service vehicle and one operational vehicle.

 A police station unit cannot operate with only one vehicle; in the case of mechanical challenges there will then be no vehicle to use. 

 In addition, there is no specific timeframe as to when the out-of-service vehicles will be repaired and returned to their respective police stations.

 The DA will continue to put pressure on the Gauteng MEC for Community Safety, Faith Mazibuko to urgently liaise with her national counterpart Minister of Police, Bheki Cele to ensure that 1169 out-of-service police vehicles are immediately attended to and brought back to their respective police stations to prevent and fight crime in the province.

 We demand that the current national government must provide adequate resources to the SAPS as our residents deserve a police service that is well resourced to keep them and their belongings safe. We will also be conducting oversight inspections to several police stations across the province to assess whether they have adequate resources needed to fight and prevent crime.

 

Justice denied to victims with only 5 percent conviction rate of those arrested for gang-related crimes

Innocent Gauteng residents continue to live in fear of their lives while their businesses are constantly targeted by gang groups, yet the police are failing to thoroughly investigate these crimes, resulting in a 5% conviction rate of those arrested for gang-related crimes.  Many cases are thus taken off the court roll due to a lack of sufficient evidence to assist in prosecution.

 

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

 

According to Mazibuko, 650 persons were arrested from July 2019 to date for gang-related crimes.

 

Of these arrests, only 30 convictions were made in terms of Section 9 of the Prevention of Organized Crime Act. Gangs members who were convicted were involved in crimes such as; dealing and possession of drugs, illegal mining, attempted murder, possession of firearms and ammunition, house robberies, business robberies, hijacking and theft of motor vehicles, theft out of motor vehicles, malicious damage to property and intimidation.

 

MEC Mazibuko states that only one gang known as the Discipline Gang in the New Clair/Newlands area is no longer operational due to the work of the provincial Anti-Gang Unit. This gang was involved in drug manufacturing, distribution of drugs, drive-by shootings, and intimidation of rival gangs in the area.

 

She states that it is difficult to determine the existence of gangs as they move from one territory to another or go underground when one of their members get arrested or sentenced.

 

The fact that only fewer convictions have been made compared to the number of arrests means that these gangs are continuing to terrorise residents and demonstrates that the provincial anti-gang unit is ineffective and failing, and there is an urgent need for effective intervention.

 

The DA will continue to put pressure on both MEC Mazibuko and the Gauteng SAPS Provincial Commissioner, Lieutenant General, Elias Mawela to review the current strategy used to investigate gang-related crimes to ensure that they result in prosecution.

 

It is the responsibility of the South African Police Service to ensure the safety of residents and to prevent gang-related crimes. More convictions need to be made but this can only be done through effective police intelligence and investigations. The DA’s continued pressure on authorities will ensure that in-depth investigations are made, and the safety of our people is prioritised.

Local Government Elections are coming up! Visit check.da.org.za to check your voter registration status.

325 pedestrian lives lost could have been saved by declaring Gauteng Traffic Police an essential service

653 innocent lives have been lost as a result of fatal road traffic crashes in Gauteng of which 325 are pedestrians, during the first quarter of the 2021/22 financial year, a clear indication that pedestrians’ lives are in danger and raises great concern about their safety while walking along the roads.

The high number of pedestrians dying as a result of road fatalities are worrying and indicates that the current road safety strategy is ineffective.

This information was revealed by the Gauteng Department of Community Safety to the Gauteng Provincial Legislature’s Community Safety Portfolio as responses emanating from the department’s first quarter report for the 2021/22 financial year.

The Committee asked questions about road crashes and fatality rates in the quarter under review.

In response to the questions, the department stated that 602 fatal crashes were reported, which resulted in 653 fatalities.

Of these fatalities reported, 325 are pedestrians, 152 are drivers, 106 are passengers, 22 are motorcyclists and 35 road user’s status are still under investigation as most are deaths away from the scene, reported after the crash.

This high number of road accidents and fatalities is a clear indication that road safety campaigns are ineffective and do not yield the desired results. Education and road safety awareness campaigns need to start at the primary school level to be effective in the long term. Ensuring that learners are educated about the rules of the road from a young age will help promote a culture of road safety awareness.

For far too long, the DA has been demanding that the Gauteng MEC for Community Safety, Faith Mazibuko, must declare Gauteng Traffic Police an essential service to ensure 24-hour monitoring of Gauteng roads, and ensure safer travelling of motorists.

The safety of road users, especially pedestrians is critical and we will not rest until there is a 24-hour road monitoring of Gauteng roads.

Local Government Elections are coming up! Visit check.da.org.za to check your voter registration status.

Justice denied to tens of thousands of victims of crime due to an increase in the backlog of DNA tests in Gauteng

Justice has been delayed to thousands of victims of violent crimes due to an increase of DNA tests backlog. The backlog has doubled in Gauteng compared to the previous financial year.

The SAPS’s failure to timeously process DNA tests is causing this backlog and creating so much more unnecessary pain for victims, and the families of victims who wish for justice and to close a horrible chapter in their lives.

This information was revealed by the Gauteng MEC for Community Safety, Faith Mazibuko, in an oral reply to my questions tabled in the Gauteng Provincial Legislature (GPL).

According to MEC Mazibuko, there has been an increase in the backlog of DNA tests in Gauteng from 20 132 in 2019/20 to 46 595 in the 2020/21 financial year.

This is unacceptable and indicates that there was no work done or less work was done with regards to the DNA tests.

MEC Mazibuko stated that there is a recovery plan by the laboratory including working with the National Prosecuting Authority to prioritise urgent cases.

The recovery plan by the laboratory is ineffective, and it is evident through the number of backlogs of DNA tests in Gauteng.

The DNA tests backlog will result in delays in prosecutions, possibly leading to cases being struck off the roll due to no evidence produced in court.

MEC Mazibuko must liaise with her national counterpart, Minister of Police, Bheki Cele, to review the current laboratory recovery plan as it has not yet yielded positive results.

The DA demands that new measures are put in place to ensure that the backlog is cleared and that the DNA tests are completed in a timeous manner.

By reducing the DNA tests backlog, we will ensure that the police and NPA start working to bring justice to the victims and their families. Justice delayed is justice denied.

Local Government Elections are coming up! Visit check.da.org.za to check your voter registration status. 

Innocent lives and livelihoods at risk with SAPS not properly trained to deal with crowd management

The lives and livelihoods of many South Africans were put at great risk when the South African Police Service (SAPS) failed to curb the widespread incidents of looting, violence, and social unrest in Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal because they are not properly trained to deal with crowd management.

This is a clear indication of why looting continued in their presence and they did nothing to intervene and ensure the safety of people and their businesses.

This information was revealed by the Gauteng MEC for Community Safety, Faith Mazibuko in an oral reply to my questions tabled in the Gauteng Provincial Legislature (GPL).

According to MEC Mazibuko, there were volumes of people looting and simultaneous attacks in different areas, yet the police are not properly trained to deal with crowd management.

MEC Mazibuko stated that 1947 arrests were made in Gauteng during the spate of looting and civil unrest. Of these arrests, 1224 dockets were prepared and referred for prosecution while others are still under investigation.

The DA’s Gauteng Community Safety Oversight Bill is the only solution to improve police intelligence, to fight and prevent crime, and to ensure that the violent unrest and looting do not happen again in our province.

For the longest time, the DA has been calling for a total reform of the SAPS to ensure that there are honest and dedicated police officers committed to serving our communities. We have been calling for the following: boosting SAPS numbers by increasing the number of operational SAPS and volunteer corps, ensure that new SAPS members are appropriately trained, improve recruitment practices, and ensure adequate resources for SAPS.

Had the current government listened to the DAs call, this violence and looting could have been curbed before causing severe damages. We will continue to push for the adoption of our Gauteng Community Safety Oversight Bill across party lines in the interest of the safety of our province, as it is the only viable solution of ensuring a safe and secure Gauteng. Safety is an issue that affects us all as no-one can have freedom while they live in fear.

We will continue to put pressure on MEC Mazibuko to liaise with her national counterpart Minister of Police, Bheki Cele to ensure that more police are employed, that they are adequately resourced and continuously trained for better safety and security of the residents of Gauteng.

Local Government Elections are coming up! Visit check.da.org.za to check your voter registration status.

Safety of Tshwane residents must be prioritised by ensuring more arrests to curb Boko Haram violence and criminality

In order to protect the livelihoods and businesses of innocent Tshwane residents who have been constantly targeted by the Boko Haram gang in Tshwane, the Democratic Alliance (DA) in Gauteng is calling for more arrests to be made to curb such violence and criminality.

Apart from walking around with firearms, looting stores and robbing people, Boko Haram is getting more and more involved with hijacking the contracts of community projects and extorting money from the developers and contractors.

This follows the arrest of an ANC Ward 86 Branch Secretary, Lima Sethokga and his two accomplices for alleged extortion of money from a developer involved in a Silverton construction project.

This arrest is a step in the right direction, however, there needs to be more arrests made to put a stop to this act of criminality that is terrorising communities and delaying community projects that are meant to benefit the residents.

Through the DA’s engagement with the Gauteng Premier, David Makhura, Gauteng MEC for Community Safety, Faith Mazibuko and the Gauteng SAPS Provincial Commissioner, Lieutenant General, Elias Mawela, a task team was established by the Tshwane District to investigate and monitor crime involving the Boko Haram gang. Informers are tasked to gather intelligence relating to the gang.

The fact that this gang is continuing to terrorise the residents, clearly indicates that the established task team is failing and there is an urgent need for effective intervention.

The DA will continue to put pressure on both MEC Mazibuko and the Gauteng SAPS Provincial Commissioner, Lieutenant General, Elias Mawela to put urgent measures in place to curb the violence and criminality of this gang.

It is the responsibility of the South African Police Service to ensure the safety of residents and to prevent such crimes. More arrests need to be made but this can only be done through effective police intelligence and comprehensive actions taken. The DA’s continued pressure on authorities will ensure that more arrests are made and the safety of our people is prioritised.

Local Government Elections are coming up! Visit check.da.org.za to check your voter registration status.