MTHATHA – Eastern Cape provincial leader of the Democratic Alliance (DA), Andrew Whitfield, conducted an oversight inspection at Mthatha Central Police Station in Mthatha, following a visit he conducted two years ago.
Whitfield was accompanied by DA OR Tambo constituency leader and Member of Parliament, Mlindi Nhanha, and local councillors.
He said Mthatha is ranked among the most dangerous cities in the country, and it is classified as a top murder and rape hotspot both provincially and nationally. The delegation met with the SAPS to discuss the challenges and roadblocks they face in performing their duties.
“The crime statistics across a number of indicators have improved, but we need an extended period of time to evaluate the impact of the interventions they set up. I was very impressed by some of the information they provided, the level of multi-disciplinary operations that are underway between the South African Police Service and other government departments to really be proactive when dealing with crime. Murder has come down, but Mthatha remains one of the murder capitals of South Africa, which is a concern for us.
“We specifically tried to press them on the collaboration with local law enforcement. They did touch on it a little bit, but if we are going to deal decisively with crime, it has to be in creating an ecosystem of collaboration between private security, communities, SAPS, the municipality, law enforcement, etc.,” said Whitfield.
He added that this needs to be done in a disciplined manner. Ultimately, what they need to do is to ensure that the police strengthen their investigations.
“We were pleased to hear that, even if it is a delayed implementation, there are cameras that have been installed by the King Sabatha Local Municipality. We will be watching this space very closely to ensure that it is efficiently launched and integrated into the municipal law enforcement. But what does it do?
“Does it help the police to provide evidence to prosecutors, strengthening investigations and strengthening prosecutions so that criminals can be convicted?”
Whitfield said the number one deterrent, if someone wants to get crime down, is to ensure that criminals are convicted and locked up. He said until that happens, criminals will continue to commit crimes because they do not fear the consequences.
“That was the purpose of our visit today, to do an oversight visit and engage the police. They have given us a couple of things that need to be addressed in terms of personnel, vehicles, and also the environmental issues within the municipality, like poor road conditions which deny access to visiting police and community response teams, lighting issues, electricity, etc.
“Also, the vandalism of infrastructure remains the main problem. Yet the municipality has not allocated cameras to the municipal infrastructure, and I do not know why. I think they must do that very quickly to protect the public infrastructure that serves the public.”
Mayoral spokesperson for King Sabatha Dalindyebo Local Municipality (KSDLM), Olwethu Mabovula, said the DA visited King Sabatha Dalindyebo Local Municipality to conduct an oversight of some of the cameras the municipality has.
“As you know, as a municipality, we have 166 cameras that are installed in 37 locations to fight crime and also monitor other activities around town to ensure the safety of people. That is what they were here to do, but unfortunately, at this moment we cannot show them the control room as a result of them not being officially launched. We will communicate the date of the launch,” said Mabovula.
Acting Station Commander at Central Police Station, Colonel Phathisile Majaja, said they will need assistance, with a belief that together they will win the battle against crime in this area.
“Our OR Tambo District is composed of 19 police stations. Talking now about Mthatha Central Police Station, it is composed of 45 locations with nine administrative areas.
“You cited the issue of detectives. On a weekly basis, we embark on operations. Teaming up, for instance, with law enforcement from KSDLM, traffic officers, etc., we do not work alone,” said Majaja.
He said they are focusing on weekends because that is when the high rate of crime takes place. “We team up with other departments. Majaja confirmed that they are trying to pull themselves away from the so-called capital town of murders.
“Even though we are trying by all means to fight crime, our resources are not enough. We are in need of vehicles so that at least we can be visible enough among our clients on a 24-hour basis, for both visible policing and detectives.
“We feel that our environmental design is not yet conducive in terms of preventing crime. If you can go around in our localities, especially during the night, it is dark. By mentioning this, I am trying to show you the challenge that we are facing.”
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