The DA welcomes the long overdue move by KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) Community Safety and Liaison MEC, Sipho Hlomuka to provide law enforcement in the crime hotspot areas of Maphumulo, Nongoma, eThekwini and Bergville.
These communities are synonymous with politically-motivated killings and it is essential that they be spared the turmoil of ongoing violence, particularly as we head towards a high-stakes election on 29 May.
While the DA welcomes the MEC’s intervention, the reality is that residents in other areas such as Inanda, KwaMashu, Amaoti and uMlazi are also under siege. Danger is an everyday experience for them as murder, rape, car-hijackings and other serious crimes remain rife.
These communities also need additional protection from government and the MEC must ensure that more resources are injected to ensure the safety of residents.
It is government’s responsibility to ensure the safety of our people. This means capacitating SAPS officers to do their jobs properly. It means ensuring that telephone lines at SAPS stations work 24/7 so that incidents can be reported. It means ensuring that police officers have vehicles and are able to attend to complaints timeously.
The reality is that all across our province, people do not feel safe. This is because, over the past three decades, the national South African Police Service (SAPS) has been weakened through political interference, corruption and cadre deployment. Criminals now have more power, and more fire power, than the police who are meant to protect our families.
KZN needs a radical approach to fighting crime. It needs to do things differently. It needs law enforcement closer to the ground and localised policing strategies that understand the unique challenges within different communities.
The DA is committed to fighting for the establishment of a provincial police service that is well-resourced, well-trained, and free of political interference. The time has come to stop relying on cadres deployed far away and for a government that prioritises the protection citizens, rather than politicians.
The DA has a plan to rid our province of runaway crime. When citizens go to the polls on 29th May they will have the opportunity to rescue KZN from an ANC government that does not put their safety first.