By Hon. Inkosi EM Buthelezi MP
Spokesperson on Police and IPID
Delivered at Parliament in OAC
15 May 2018
Votes 23 & 20: Police and IPID
Honourable Chairperson,
Chapter 11 of the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, stipulates that the South African Police Service has a responsibility to:
- prevent, combat and investigate crime;
- maintain public order;
- protect and secure the inhabitants of the Republic and their property; and
- uphold and enforce the law.
However chairperson,
For far too long have South Africans endured the heinous crimes that are committed on a daily basis against them.
Murder, rape, sexual assaults, house breaking, business burglary, car theft, hijackings and etcetera are on the rise.
When one holistically looks at crime in our country, our communities are living in fear, our farmers and farmworkers are being killed, livestock theft is on the rise, drug related crimes are becoming more and more prevalent and our women and children no longer feel safe.
The issue of Safety and Security goes beyond the safety of our citizens as it forms the basis for economic development in our country.
A safe and secure country will see a boost in local and international investment opportunities, because investors always choose to invest in a country that is safe and free from violence and looting.
Safety in South Africa appear only to be for the few, the wealthy, and the elite as they are able to afford private security, this in turn leaves our poor and vulnerable communities exposed to high levels of violent crime.
The above mentioned on its own, chairperson, highlights the failure of the SAPS in delivering on its core mandate.
Yes, crime is down by 1.8% in South Africa, but even the police agree that the country just doesn’t feel any safer, according to the latest SAPS Crime Stats.
Former Minister Mbalula admitted last year in a broadcast and said: “we have a 1.8% drop in crime, I do not feel it, and our people do not feel it, and they are correct,” – This shows that we are far from achieving a steady percentage decline in crime.
The IFP hopes that Minister Cele, this time around, will be able to make a significant impact in reducing crime. We have also seen that talking “tough on crime” does not change anything; it is only in action that we are able to see a reduction in crime.
Chairperson,
In terms of IPID, in March this year Executive Director Robert McBride told this house, that there are huge challenges, including the lack of security clearance for senior crime intelligence officers.
The worst part of it all is the involvement of SAPS officers and those in higher positions, which are involved, in criminal activity and crime syndicates, which pose a serious threat to our National Security.
A case in point, chair, and are the comments of McBride, when he said: “police were pre-occupied with “stealing”, not fighting crime. “The SAPS function… as a matrix of crime. The biggest threat to national security is corruption in the SAPS… We are no longer able to effectively contain crime,”
Chairperson, as I read out the Constitutional mandate of SAPS earlier, both SAPS and IPID need to get their house in order, South African’s safety and security depend on this and they need to fulfill their constitutional mandate.
For our country to respond positively to the call by President Ramaphosa, as he said in his SONA: “Thuma Mina” – this department fundamentally serves in the interest of ensuring that the ideals of a “New Dawn” is achievable, by ensuring that our country and its people are safe.
The IFP will support this budget.
I thank you.
