Remarks by KwaZulu-Natal Director-General Dr Kwazi Mbanjwa at the launch of the KwaZulu-Natal Men's Forum, Mzinto

If the KwaZulu-Natal Men's Forum is to serve its role clearly, it must do the following:

* help create a new order in which men and women are equal members of society
* create a new order in which boy and girl children are raised as equal members of families
* it must help create communities which not only detest violence against women children and men, but actively ensure that it does not occur at all in families, communities and the entire country.

We are launching the Men's Forum here at Umzinto because we want to voice our displeasure and revulsion at the continued violence against the vulnerable in our communities.

We are against the killing of women here in the Umzinto Area by a person or persons who we believe are yet to be convicted. We are angry that these women were killed simply for seeking to live their lives.

At the same time we are here to say that this is by no means an isolated incident. It reflects a sickness which we must come together across all sectors, across political parties, religions and ensure that no more people are killed in this area, and in the rest of KwaZulu-Natal.

The report of the African Peer Review Mechanism on KwaZulu-Natal and South Africa noted that even though comparatively speaking, we may not have the highest crime rate in the world; crime here is particularly brutal and violent. The distinguishing character of our crime is that it is excessively violent.

It baffles all sane observers here and everywhere in the world that a robber will come to some one's house, take the television and money and then kill everyone in the house. Alternatively the robber, against all logic, stabs a person, he dies, but he continues to stab that person more than 70 times. Why is our crime so violent?

History of serial killers

In the early 1990s, several women were found strangled in a mine dump in Cleveland, south of the city. The police arrested one David Selepe in 1994 and charged him with the murders of 11 of the victims. Selepe was subsequently killed while "pointing out" the murder scene of one of his alleged victims. At the inquest, police alleged he had attacked one of the detectives with a stick before he was shot. An inquest later found no one criminally liable for his death. At the time of his death, police claimed Selepe had been "positively linked" to six of the "Cleveland Strangler" victims.

Again South Africa was in the news again in 1996, when Credric Maake embarked on his carnage in Gauteng. During his murderous spree, stretching from 1996 to 1997, Maake killed 27 people, including shop owners and couples. Some of his victims were gunned down and others were hit with blunt objects. We were pleased when in 2000; Maake was convicted of 27 murders, 26 attempted murders, 14 rapes, 41 aggravated robberies and other minor offences. In total, he was sentenced to 1 159 years for his crimes.

We also had the case of Moses Sithole who holds the distinction of being South Africa's most notorious killer and is currently ranked the sixth worst killer in the world. His tally of 38 murders, 40 rapes and six robberies with aggravating circumstances makes for chilling reading.

Sithole preyed on female job-seekers whom he lured to secluded spots by promising them jobs. These are by no means the only serial killers in South Africa's history. Here are a few others over the years.

* Daisy de Melker, poisoner, killed two husbands and one son; executed in 1932
* Sipho Thwala, also known as the Phoenix Strangler; raped and murdered 16 women in sugarcane fields from 1996 to 1997
* Gert van Rooyen, abducted at least six girls from 1988 to 1989 who were never found.

A unique feature of Southern serial killers is that they defy the conventional profile of serial killers who in the rest of the world are generally profiled as "white, heterosexual males in their twenties and thirties" who prey on white women and children.

In South Africa it is mainly black and white men who have an underdeveloped sense of self or generally have a history of abuse during childhood or were wronged by women. But they nevertheless do not have any right to take other people's lives as a result of their circumstances and experiences. We condemn these acts of brutality committed for whatever reason.

More importantly, the law must take its course. But for the law to be effective, we as a community must take a stand. A stand that says we shall have no such elements in our society. We shall expose them and have them arrested.

The only weapon against criminality is the Popular Front against Crime. We must collectively do everything to ensure there is no murder in our communities. But first we must ensure there is no criminality. Serious crime begins with small petty crime. We must therefore not aid theft by buying stolen goods. We must not hide suspects who murder, steal or rob our people. We say this because every suspect has a family. Every suspect lives in a community. It is this family and this community that must work with the police to ensure these people are apprehended, sentenced and removed from society. Fighting crime effectively, particularly against women, children and the vulnerable is something do-able. As we launch the Men's Forum, we are assured that we shall all join hands in this popular front against crime and that in the end; our society will prevail against crime.

Masisukume Sakhe.

Issued by: Office of the Premier, KwaZulu-Natal Provincial Government
9 November 2007