Durban - The country’s security clusters, including in Durban, have done “very well” to make sure citizens feel safe in the face of international terrorism, says eThekwini mayor, James Nxumalo.
Speaking at the inaugural Africa Forum for Urban Safety conference at Durban’s ICC on Wednesday, he said in the wake of the Istanbul airport terror attack: “We still hope that we are not going to see what we have seen in other countries where there are terror attacks and people being killed, like in Nigeria where there is the problem of Boko Haram.
“We do not have those things here in South Africa, and we still believe, pray and hope that we are not going to see those things happening.”
In comparison with various global acts of terror he labelled the difficulties faced by South Africa as minor problems.
But he condemned acts of vandalism and violence during protests. He did concede that serious crime remained a problem in the country and city, but said authorities were committed to tackling the scourge.
“We want to emphasise crime prevention, mainly to ensure people’s safety… this crime prevention will also ensure we do not end up chasing investors away,” Nxumalo said.
He stressed the importance of communities working with law enforcement authorities and said reporting crime enabled authorities to better plan how to deal with it. Central to reducing crime, he said, was job creation.
“We need to create jobs and ensure… young people are employed, because if young people are unemployed we end up having people taking drugs and doing crime.”
He admitted Durban had crime hot spots including in KwaMashu, Inanda and uMlazi, but said city officials were working with police to reduce the problem.
Durban was named as the permanent secretariat of the Africa Forum for Urban Safety at the conference, which was focusing on the creation of safer cities. The secretariat was established by Durban with the UN’s Habitat Safer Cities programme and the United Cities and Local Governments of Africa.
The learning exchange event saw cities from around Africa gather to discuss urban security and safety with experts.