By Thokozani Mtshali
The African National Congress wants the government to change gear in handling crime, calling for a more "vigorous" and "comprehensive" response to the problem.
This follows the party's three-day lekgotla in Johannesburg.
The position is in stark contrast to President Thabo Mbeki's assertion in a television interview last week that it was only a perception that crime was spiralling out of control.
The lekgotla instead reiterated the position outlined in the party's January 8 statement that it was "critically important, in the interest of safety and security... that both the ANC and the government" should have a practical and specific response to crime.
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Party spokesperson Smuts Ngonyama said on Monday that, based on a concrete understanding of the reality of crime, the ruling party agreed that the government's response should also be "based on a clear understanding of the causes of crime and the various forms it takes across society".
"The response needs to be well considered, effectively co-ordinated and comprehensive," Ngonyama said.
He said the party also intended to get its lower structures across the country to engage communities to support the police and work with law enforcement agencies against criminals.
He downplayed suggestions, however, that the lekgotla's diagnosis of the crime problem was different from that of the president, saying this was the unnecessary "politicking about the issue of crime which consequently shifted attention from the criminals".
But this indicates that crime, along with other pertinent issues such as the eradication of poverty, is set to remain on top of the government's agenda this year.
Most issues that form part of the key resolutions of the ANC lekgotla also form the basis of a similar gathering of the cabinet that will map out the government's programme for the year.
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