Note to Editors: Please find attached pictures (here, here and here) and soundbite by DA KZN Premier Candidate, Chris Pappas, during the DA’s oversight activity.
Yesterday, the Democratic Alliance Shadow Minister of Police, Andrew Whitfield, DA KZN Premier Candidate, Chris Pappas, DA KZN Provincial Leader, Francois Rodgers and DA KZN Community Safety Spokesperson, Sithembiso Ngema, visited the eThekwini Municipality Water and Sanitation depot, in Ottawa, which shed light into well-orchestrated mafia syndicates that have monopolized the supply of water. Furthermore, in one incident during a water protest, angry locals marched to the facility which led to the shooting and subsequent death of a staff member. In another incident, a senior water official was killed in an apparent targeted assassination.
Not far, in Cornubia, the looting of building materials has prevented the construction of Solomon Mahlangu Primary School which was part of the Presidential Catalytic Project that was meant be completed in 2022.
The delegation then visited Inanda police station, which records the highest number of rape and murder cases in the province to better gauge the capabilities in place to mitigate crime. The DA heard first-hand from aggrieved families including one where a relative was shot and killed in January with suspects later going into hiding. To date not a single person has been questioned or arrested. During another family visit the DA heard how a boyfriend raped and killed her girlfriend while admitting to the crime in court but was set free.
According to Shadow Minister Whitfield, the scourge of criminality that’s gripped KZN can be largely attributed to the police’s failure. Whitfield will be writing to the national police commissioner to challenge the protocols as it’s only in KZN police stations where stringent access protocol still exists.
This highlights the urgency to implement the recently launched DA KZN Provincial Manifesto where the DA would fight for a provincial police service.
The 29th of May is an opportunity for citizens in KZN to take a stand against rampant crime and usher in a DA government that will proactively protect and preserve citizens’ rights to safety.