DURBAN is reinforcing its safer cities strategy and is
leading Africa in creating sustainable solutions for urban safety.
The city hosted the third and last session of the 2017 Africa Forum for Urban Safety (AFUS) at Moses Mabhida Stadium yesterday.
In closing the session, Zandile Gumede, eThekwini mayor and chairperson of AFUS, said safety, crime prevention and security had been identified as the cornerstone for growth and development of African cities.
Each city therefore learns from others about safety developmental strategies.
“eThekwini Municipality welcomes the opportunity to learn from all other cities within the continent and abroad.
“We could not achieve our goals for safe and secure communities without active participation of other cities and strategic partners in key decision-making structures for AFUS,” Gumede said.
She said global cities were going through a heightened quest for safety and security.
She asked the role players to consolidate, review and strengthen urban safety policy, strategies and practices of the municipality.
Gumede said eThekwini had demonstrated examples in the implementation of the Safer Cities programme.
During the three-day meeting, the AFUS advisory council made up of representatives from various national and provincial government departments, African mayors, United Cities and Local Government-Africa, UN Habitat, European Forum for Urban Safety, local and African local government authorities and academia was established.
The council’s role would be to provide strategic guidance to, and make decisions in support of the AFUS programme, to strengthen the role of cities and local authorities in addressing crime and violence.
Thomas Chiramba, technical adviser at UN Habitat, commended eThekwini for taking the leadership role in creating safer cities.
He said crime was a “global phenomenon” that affected all cities.
Dr Musa Gumede, eThekwini deputy city manager: community and emergency services, said the city had formed a streaming committee that oversaw the use of information communication technology (ICT) to provide service delivery.
“Service delivery issues and a move to a safer environment can be achieved through ICT, hence the extension of wi-fi connection to our public buildings,” Gumede said.