Address by Premier of KwaZulu-Natal Mr Sibusiso Ndebele during the opening of the Provincial Crime Summit held in Durban

There are few subjects which evoke more public interest, generate more reels of paper and take as much radio airtime as the issue of crime. There are few public and privately held debates which evoke more sustained interest than those which provide the opportunity to express their anger around crime.

For this reason in the State of the Province Address we called for this Crime Summit. This is because we want to develop a fuller understanding of the trajectory, which an act of crime takes from commission to conviction. It is our view that we must develop a full understanding of this scourge of crime and its full genesis and appreciate the socio-economic environment in which it thrives.

In the State of the Province Address we said and I quote: "We will convene a Provincial Summit on Crime. This Summit will encompass the participation of all role-players and stakeholders including the South African Police Service, Safety and Security, business and justice. The Summit will create conditions for a seamless criminal justice system plan to combat crime."

In a report called "Crime in South Africa: A country and cities profile" written by Martin Schonteich and Antoinette Louw of the Institute of Security Studies (ISS), violence is cited as one of the key distinguishing features of crime in South Africa. For instance, robbery has at times been higher in Australia, but rape or murder (both violent crimes), would be comparably higher in South Africa. The two researchers argue that a multitude of apartheid and Draconian internal security laws were placed on the South African statute books between the mid-1950s and late-1980s.

It is possible that as the legitimacy of the apartheid government declined, and opposition to its policies intensified, the distinction between political and criminal behaviour became blurred. The ISS also argues that violent crimes were often seen and justified by their perpetrators as a legitimate defence against political opponents and enemies. Some explanations suggest that families suffered from 'institutional violence' for decades through the disruption of their lives by mass removals and migrant labour policies of apartheid. High levels of gang activity and the availability of firearms are also mainly evident in urban areas and are known to be a key contributor to violent crime and armed robbery.

During the State of the Province Address earlier this year we noted that KwaZulu-Natal had moved a long way to create a peaceful province. We have now dealt away with political violence. As we have moved away from this violence we find that we are now challenged by crimes against the person and crimes against property.

It remains a sad reality of our present that our people today are being killed for their credit cards. They are being killed for their bank cards and they are being killed for their cellphones. Any level of crime is unacceptable. It does not matter whether it is violent or non-violent, a crime is a crime is a crime.

It however does not help to adopt an attitude of helplessness against criminals. We can beat them. This we can do if we work together in partnership. We know crime can be beaten because last year KwaZulu-Natal had the highest incidence of cash-in-transit heists. Excellent work by the South African Police Services (SAPS) in this province has practically dealt away with this phenomenon. Following the arrest of members of the syndicate we can now say we have a dramatic drop in cash heists.

The SAPS has also dealt with drug syndicates as well as tracked down some of the most wanted criminals in the country. Under 50 000 illegal arms have been confiscated which no doubt will help us decrease crime.

Crime against property and persons however remains a problem. This we are setting deliberate steps to deal with. To win the war against crime requires a change of culture and behaviour among our people. We believe we will never beat crime as government if we act alone. Acting alone as the criminal justice system, it is impossible to win the battle against crime. Acting alone as the communities, it is impossible to beat crime forever. Acting alone as business we will fail against criminals.

So it is the community that creates a market for stolen goods. It is the mothers, fathers, brothers and sisters who turn a blind eye to the criminal acts of some in our families. Criminals come from our own communities, from our families and they form part of our circles of friends and acquaintances.

Families must become units of behavioural excellence where respect, dignity, trust and love are taught like a religion. We want to reiterate that there will be no place to hide for criminals.

We must remove all the conditions which allow criminals to get away with murder. In this regard we have called for a Popular Front Against Crime.

Members of the community will be our greatest asset in this fight. This is because members of the community know many of the people who sell stolen television sets and cellphones in the townships, villages and suburbs of our province. Communities must cease to serve as storage facilities for stolen goods. Those who steal somewhere else and try to sell to any one of us must be isolated from our communities.

Residents of Chesterville for example are in a position to tell which of their sons has suddenly changed their lifestyle, when in fact he is unemployed. When he is seen driving flashy cars, dressed in the latest fashions and carrying lots of cash the people of that township are in a position to tell the difference. We are therefore calling on the community to work with us in the creation of crime free zones where no stolen goods are sold and bought, and where stolen cars are not sold at all.

It is therefore appropriate that the theme of this summit is: "An integrated, multi-disciplined approach to the fight against crime." Through the summit we hope to solidify existing collaborations with all our partners and ensure that all stakeholders play their critical role in the fight against crime. In this way we will edge closer to our vision of delivering a truly seamless criminal justice system.

We are encouraged that as a commitment to this partnership, business, through Business Against Crime (BAC) supports government as consultants and facilitators. BAC has done this through:

* developing public private partnerships
* supporting a mutually agreed vision
* influencing strategy and policy
* transferring business skills to Government
* driving working solutions that deliver results.

In 2005 we saw the launch of the first Specialised Commercial crime Court in KwaZulu-Natal. Owing to the intervention of the Specialised Commercial Crime Courts BAC reports a conviction rate of close to 99%. The role of BAC has extended to the improvement of human resource capacity and specialised skills to the Criminal Justice System through targeted training and mentorship programmes.

BAC has also identified Youth as important players in our fight against crime through retarding criminal behaviour among them and changing perceptions towards crime. The Tiisa Thuto (Sesotho word meaning strengthening education) aims to inculcate a positive value system among members of the school community as a way of fighting crime. The programme aims to create an environment conducive for effective teaching and learning and seeks to reduce acts of anti-social, criminal and abusive behaviour.

Through the Department of Community Safety and Liaison, under the leadership of MEC Bheki Cele, as a province we have agreed to work hard to achieve broadly speaking the following among others in the area of crime:

* successfully co-ordinating the implementation of a Provincial Crime Prevention Strategy with a clear responsibility matrix, feedback mechanisms and time span
* launch a Provincial Joint Crime Prevention System and Cluster
* create a transparent crime prevention environment through stakeholders accounting on the programmes and action plans
* ensure a broad partnership between all stakeholders including inter-sector collaboration.

We hope the achievement of these objectives will enable all our communities to see that the government is serious about fighting crime and making KwaZulu-Natal safe. This is because we still see government as the primary agent responsible for ensuring that the conditions are created for a more secure KwaZulu-Natal. We are not shirking from our responsibility to provide a safe and secure environment for our people.

Victory against criminals is non-negotiable. We have fought for so long, to secure this freedom we enjoy today. We cannot allow criminals to undermine the struggle of the broader liberation movement we cannot allow criminals to undermine our plans for the economic development of KwaZulu-Natal. We cannot allow criminals to reverse the gains of 1994.

Let us isolate and undermine them, wherever they are. Together in partnership we will emerge the only victors. I wish you well in deliberations over the next few days.

Masisukume Sakhe iKwaZulu-Natal.

I thank you!

Issued by: Office of the Premier, KwaZulu-Natal Provincial Government
21 May 2007