DURBAN - ETHEKWINI mayor Mxolisi Kaunda has reassured constituents that the municipality’s safety was a priority and that the police remained on high alert after threats of further civil unrest on Monday.
Kaunda was speaking during the municipality’s executive committee meeting on Tuesday.
Commending the safety measures implemented by the municipality after threats of further civil unrest, Kaunda said the police and the army remained on high alert to ensure the safety of people across the city.
“We meet today (Tuesday) at a time when there is a heavy presence of the military throughout the city to assist police safeguard communities following the civil unrest in July. We commend the work being done by the security cluster.
“We also continue to engage with the business community and discuss how best to rebuild our economy. Last Friday we met with all stakeholders, including the security agencies, to discuss our readiness after threats to our security surfaced.
“Police maintained high visibility and ensured that possible disruptions were dispersed. We encourage the people not to participate in illegal protests,” said Kaunda.
Reporting on the eThekwini municipality’s civil unrest, safety and security plan, deputy city manager for community security and emergency services Dr Musa Gumede said various proposals, including disaster management, had been submitted to ensure that, during times of civil unrest, local municipality properties, such as the city hall, were protected.
Gumede proposed that the security briefing be held regularly by the City to ensure that appropriate action was taken, and suggested that the CCTV cameras be beefed up to monitor the city.
“The leadership was exposed, as these properties were left to be protected by private security companies when we have the police who can do this,” said Gumede.
In response to Gumede, DA councillor Yogiswarie Govender questioned how the City would implement the measures when there were no municipal funds. She added that the City had failed to implement safety measures the DA had, for a long time, proposed they implement.
The IFP’s Mdu Nkosi welcomed the safety report and said there was a need for security to be beefed up in the city.
“I want to emphasise that a city without strong security will not have investments. We need to ensure that our CCTV cameras work so that we can ensure the safety and protection of the citizens of eThekwini,” said Nkosi.
Councillor Sipho Kaunda, who is also the economic development and planning committee chairperson, suggested that the private sector be included in the security plans so that they could collectively come up with proper plans.
Meanwhile, Kaunda also encouraged the public to continue getting vaccinated, as the City was still in the process of rebuilding, and continued to battle the Covid-19 third wave.
He asserted that vaccination sites remained in place, but he was concerned by the lower turnout and appealed to young people to get vaccinated.
“We continue to battle the third wave, as the numbers remain high. We encourage the community not to lower their guard. They must continue observing Covid-19 regulations.
“We need to encourage our relatives, and everyone we know, to please get vaccinated so that we continue with the drive to fight this pandemic,” said Kaunda.
Kaunda emphasised that, as the City picked up the pieces to rebuild, sports would be one of the key areas that would see people come together.
Daily News