Date: 11/03/2007

Source: Eastern Cape Provincial Government

Title: Mhlahlo: Gospel Music Against Crime festival

Address by the Honourable MEC for Safety and Liaison in the Eastern Cape, MPL Thobile Mhlahlo, at the Gospel Music Against Crime festival, Gelvandale

11 March 2007

A month ago, President Thabo Mbeki made a clarion call to all South Africans to unite in their diversity in pursuit of building safer communities, where there is peace, security and comfort.

Today we are here in an attempt to respond to that call, which reminded us of the fact that "crime knows no colour, gender, age, political affiliation or religion".

The scourge of crime continues to bedevil our young democracy and impacts severely on the quality of life of our people.

Without decisive action to curb crime by government through law enforcement agencies in partnership with communities, it could undermine our efforts to ensure that our country is able to realise its social and economic potential.

Our response, as a collective, needs to be well-considered, effectively co-ordinated, comprehensive and sustainable in order to make the envisaged impact.

At the core of our response should be, amongst others, the:
* promotion of moral regeneration and ubuntu (humanity)
* restoration of family and community values
* assistance of people who have been in conflict with the law, particularly the youth, within the context of restorative justice
* promotion of multi-agency collaboration against crime.

In order to achieve this, we must build a united front against crime and further engage in a process of extensive mobilisation of our communities against crime as instructed by the President of South Africa.

Organs of civil society, which include churches, sport bodies, youth structures, women's organisations, business, community-based organisation and non-government communications, must united in an effort to build the first line of defence, especially for the vulnerable groups in our society, which include women, children, the elderly and the physically challenged.

I would like to commend the contribution of local churches to this glittering event, which clearly demonstrate your commitment to this national effort against crime, and to make the Eastern Cape a compelling place to live, work and invest in.

Local churches have a rich history of extraordinary contribution towards the emancipation of our people from the ills of apartheid.

Today, we need to re-channel that spirit and determination to the fight against the social ills that frustrate our freedom and democracy.

Guided by the Provincial Crime Prevention Strategy (PCPS), government will play its role in providing safety and security for all citizens in this province in partnership with all relevant stakeholders and communities.

Last month, the Department of Safety and Liaison held a Provincial Indaba for Community Police Forums with the aim of repositioning these structures in order to respond promptly to the new social crime prevention approach.

Local police stations were represented in that important meeting, which mandated all Community Police Forums (CPFs) and police stations to embark on an "extensive mass mobilisation against crime".

I would like to make a call to all of you to support these CPFs and ensure that we win back our streets from the hands of criminals.

The department is committed to provide the necessary support and training in order to ensure that CPFs are effective in their work.

I strongly believe that the intervention of local churches, business community and non-government organisations, remains critical for CPFs to continue with their good work.

The Department of Safety and Liaison will embark on a process of engaging the business sector and sensitise them about the importance of their contribution in this "united front against crime".

Some business organisations are on board and the private security industry within the Nelson Mandela Bay region has showed interest and I will be meeting them on Monday, 19 March 2007, here in Port Elizabeth.

The department's mission is to bring on board banks, vehicle manufacturers, state parastatals, government departments and other role players who stand to gain out of our anti-crime strategy.

As we prepare for the 2010 Federation International Football Association (FIFA) World Cup, which will take place in this country and Nelson Mandela Bay, we need to collectively attend to issues of safety and security today.

We have to ensure that this Metro is accessible to all visitors and create a crime-free environment for all our people.

The Department of Safety and Liaison will engage the Department of Labour and the relevant Sector Education and Training Authority (SETA) to train community patrol volunteers in order to pave way for a crime-free tournament.

In consultation with CPFs, the Nelson Mandela Bay Metro Municipality and other relevant stakeholders, we will further mobilise the youth to participate in this initiative.

In September, the department will host a Safety and Security Summit for 2010 here in Port Elizabeth, which will serve as a launching pad of our offensive against crime in the province as we prepare for this international football showpiece.

In her State of the Province Address, Eastern Cape Premier Mrs Nosimo Balindlela announced that the Nelson Mandela Metro would be one of the targeted areas for the implementation of the Safety and Security in Schools Programme.

This means, as the community, parents and young people of this area, we should embark on a programme, together with the police and CPFs, of creating conducive conditions for teaching and learning in our schools.

In June 2007, we will ensure that we host a summit on safety and security in schools, which will culminate in the adoption of a programme of action or implementation plan that would be embraced by all relevant stakeholders.

We expect the people of this region to embrace this programme and create space for a brighter future for all our children through ensuring that School Safety Committees are established and work closely with the School Governing Bodies.

The time has come for all of us to intensify our campaigns against drug abuse, drug trafficking and violence in our schools.

In order for us to achieve these tasks, we must strengthen our efforts of:
* community mobilisation against crime, especially the youth, through participation in sector policing and the establishment of street committees as instructed by the President of South Africa
* prioritising safety and security matters during the formulation of our Integrated and Development Plans.

In conclusion,

I would like to once more express my sincere gratitude to all local churches and their leaders for their support to this campaign.

Let us work together in defence of peace, security and comfort in communities and make crime "everybody's business".

Thank you.

Issued by: Department of Safety and Security, Eastern Cape Provincial Government
11 March 2007