Issued by: Gauteng Provincial Government
26th August, 1998
Master of Ceremonies Widows, Widowers and Orphans Honourable Members of Parliament Mayors and Councilors Provincial Commissioner Members of the SAPS Ladies and Gentlemen
I feel honoured to have all of you here on this occasion of Fund - Raising for the Widows, Widowers and Orphans of the SAPS. This is one of the significant events in the annals of the history of the SAPS and indeed the entire Safety and Security community. It is an occasion to honour those who have sacrificed their lives in order to uproot crime from our society. We believe that the role of the police in service and in defence of democracy is a noble role that needs to be honoured. A nation that does not honour its heroes and heroines, is a nation that is doomed to fail.
Value the Police Service
Ladies and Gentlemen, we have therefore gathered here to make a simple and yet very profound statement and appeal to all the people of this province and perhaps the country as a whole i.e. we as government value the services that the police are rendering.
The time has come for all of us to recognize, appreciate and honour the sacrifices that the police make, including laying down their lives, in order to bring safety and security for all our people.
The time has come for the entire community to support the police in the fight against crime if any efforts to combat and prevent crime are to have any meaning.
Indeed, the time is now and not later, for the police to be taken and treated as human beings like you and me. They are men and women with family lives to lead. They are equally people who need to be given love and compassion by society.
This occasion therefore constitutes a challenge to all and sundry to begin to honour and reward the police members for the noble duty they are performing. The era of destructive and one - sided criticisms; negative perceptions as well as wining that have permeated even some media, should be replace by a more balanced understanding and interpretation of the difficult conditions and history under which the police have to operate.
Constructive Criticisms
We are in no way suggesting that the community and civil society should be uncritical of the police in relation to delivery of services. We reckon that there is still a lot that needs to be done to transform the SAPS to the desired state we want. On the contrary, as the Department for Public and Security and the entire Gauteng Provincial Government, we are the first to encourage the communities and civil society to monitor the police and be constructively critical with a view to making sure that they become more efficient and effective in dealing with criminality. We need constructive suggestions of how we can improve policing and reduce the unacceptably high levels of crime.
We need effective and efficient policing like dry soil needs water. Effective policing requires among others, dedicated and well - motivated policemen and women.
In pursuance of that goal, our Department, is contributing R50 000,00 to the Fund for the Widows, Widowers and Orphans of the Province. The question that may arise is why do we contribute to this Fund?
This Fund was established in 1920 under conditions that promoted discrimination and conflict. Our commitment to promote this Fund stems from our dedication to foster reconciliation and redefining the new role for the South African Police Service in a democracy.
SAPS, Part of Democracy
Our objective is to introduce new ethos and a new perspective. A perspective that is informed by the need for the South African Police Services to be an intrinsic and integral part of the democratisation, reconstruction and development process of our country.
It is these goals that prompted the previous Premier of Gauteng, Mr tokyo Sexwale to put his weight behind this Fund through fundraising in 1997.
Improvement of Working Conditions
We also took note of the difficult conditions under which the police have to operate. Some f these are having to work in dilapidated police stations with no facilities. Thus our decision to construct five police stations which cost over fifty six million rands in areas that never had proper policing facilities and working conditions for the police in the past, like Alexander, Orange Farm, Diepkloof, Eldorado Park. The first one was opened this month in Ivory Park and some are to be opened before the end of this year.
The government is also giving serious attention to the issue of improving the salaries as well as working and living conditions of the police in general.
Committed to Improving Police Conditions
We are aware that the measures are still far from being adequate in terms of meeting the demands that life has. However, we are committed to ensuring that the conditions of the police members are improved. We are confident that if the business community, labour, churches, and the communities at large join hands in this endeavor, we will make a difference.
Thank Past Contributors
We take this opportunity to thank all those who have in the past, made a contribution and urge them to continue to do so in the future. This is a worthy and noble course.
Mobilise and Unite around Don't Do Crime
Master of Ceremonies, crime is indeed a pervasive problem affecting all of us, young and old. It also knows no colour, no religion, no class and no gender. It is tearing our moral and social fibre. It affects us across the political spectrum. The tendency to use crime in order to score political points can only play into the hands of criminals as it disunites the efforts of fighting this scourge. If there is anything that needs our unity and patriotic spirit, it is crime.
We need to mobilise in our homes, streets, rural and urban areas, in churches, factories, schools and say Stop the Police Killings. The message Don't Do Crime! must vibrate throughout the length and breath of our Province.
Stop Killings of Police Officials
One of the worst forms of criminality we are faced with is the killing of police officials. We have had 57 police officials killed since the beginning of this year alone. Since the birth of our new Democracy 387 police officials have been killed in the Gauteng Province.
This is indicative of the serious degeneration of our moral and social values. We must stop this carnage before it becomes a norm that can poison future generations and haunt our society for may years to come.
The problem is now receiving urgent attention within the entire Safety and Security Department. Some of the critical areas that may have to be looked at are:
The urgency of these measures cannot be overemphasized.
Transformation of the Criminal Justice System
Our goal as government is to ensure that the whole criminal justice system is transformed into an effective deterrent against criminality. Alongside, we want to enhance and entrench the culture of support and empowerment for victims of crimes. Everybody has a role in this regard. This requires a strong partnership between the government, the community and civil society at large. This is the perspective of the Draft White Paper, which seeks to define the policy of government for the next five years.
Media Role
I would like to make a special call to the media to join hands in this endeavor. You can assist in more ways than one, like popularising this Fund Throughout the Gauteng Province and encourage the public to make whatever contributions that would help alleviate the conditions of the widows, widowers and orphans; developing a campaign to stop the killings of police officials.
Members should Contribute
I also urge the members of the police service to contribute in this Fund. The more the contributions from the members now, the better the security and future for your children, your wives, your husbands and your families at large.
Priority is Women and Children
We owe it to those who have laid down their lives so that you and me may be able to enjoy life under conditions free from criminality. We owe it to the country to reduce crime. Let us take a stand in unison against crime. Let us give full support to the police and their families. The orphans, widows and widowers nee your hand. Let us embrace them. Let us take the challenge so that our beautiful Province becomes the best place to live in.
A special thanks to Orphans, Widows and Widowers who have sacrificed their time to come. I also thank those who have contributed and call on others to join hands. I Thank You All for coming.