Issued by: Gauteng Provincial Governmen
Gauteng's MEC for Safety & Security, Ms Jessie Duarte, will meet with traders from Yeoville next week to continue discussions on ways of dealing with crime in the suburb.
"I have held useful meetings with the traders in the past, and will continue with these discussions to ensure that the police bring down crime levels in the suburb," she says.
Ms Duarte rejects allegations that she has "told traders to clean up the crime themselves", as was implied in the Star today (Tuesday).
"This is a cheap and superficial way to interpret the discussions which I have held with the traders and the police," she says. "At the meeting referred to in the Star today, which was held six weeks ago, traders themselves suggested that it would be helpful if the community could provide assistance, and share its resources, to help the police.
"One example of this was donation of a surveillance camera, which is currently in use in the area. Another suggestion was that private security firms cooperate with the police to identify drug dealers. I am sure there will be other suggestions from the traders at Monday's meeting.
"Like me, they are completely committed to dealing with the drugs problem in Yeoville. Like me, they have committed themselves to dealing with the problem collectively. Like me, they are making sure that the police do something with this problem, and ensure that known drug dealers are brought to book.
"We are particularly keen to see the results achieved by the special narcotics unit which was sent in from Pietermaritzburg recently."
Ms Duarte also announced that she will be participating in a protest march through the suburb tomorrow (Thursday) at the invitation of the local community policing forum.
Apart from her interventions in the Yeoville area, Ms Duarte will be holding a meeting tomorrow with residents of Moffat Park and members of the informal settlement community which has been established in the area. She has already held one meeting with residents of both communities and will continue to monitor relations between the two groups.
She also met with members of the greater Soweto Community Policing Forum, who have proposed the recruitment of 10 000 police reservists in an attempt to bring down crime in the area.