CAPE TOWN - Western Cape Community Safety member of the executive council (MEC) Albert Fritz on Friday met with insurance and banking group, Old Mutual at a collaborative stakeholder engagement breakfast in Cape Town.
The meeting was aimed at fostering partnerships between private business and government to safeguard the province.
The engagement was held at Old Mutual offices in Pinelands in an effort to encourage dialogue between stakeholders on pertinent matters impacting society, promote stakeholder interaction and information sharing, and consider the concerns within the communities.
A panel discussion was also held with Cape Chamber of Commerce chief executive, Geoffrey Jacobs, Business Against Crime Acting chief executive, Billy Graham, WECBOF chief executive, Arifa Parkar, Accelerate Cape Town chief executive, Ryan Ravens, and Old Mutual executive sponsor, Jean Minnaar, which focused particularly on cybercrime.
During his keynote address on the impact of crime on business, Fritz said: “At today’s engagement, I outlined how partnerships are of importance in the Provincial Safety Plan which will ensure additional law enforcement and 150 investigators on the ground over the next five years.
“The safety plan will not succeed unless we build strong and lasting partnerships with all components of society. Partnerships must be built with all stakeholders, including with the SAPS, the City of Cape Town, private security companies, private sector stakeholders and community safety structures.”
He said that “this partner-centric approach to the Premier’s Safety Plan requires that we take both a whole-of-society-approach, as well as a whole-of-government-approach to delivering the vision of a safer Western Cape for all”.
“Importantly, collaboration with communities will be key to receiving and disseminating relevant crime-related information to understand specific crime trends affecting different communities which will assist the Provincial Government in better evaluating necessary changes,” he said.