Durban - The IFP has called into question the KwaZulu-Natal government’s crime-fighting ability and asked how R100 million earmarked for anti-crime initiatives had been used.
IFP Member of Provincial Legislature Blessed Gwala said while it had been months since KZN Premier Nomusa Dube-Ncube announced that each department would set aside R10 million towards a fund for crime-fighting, nothing concrete had been heard on the initiative since the State of the Province Address.
“It is perplexing that people in KwaZulu-Natal are being robbed and even killed by ruthless criminals, yet the ANC-led provincial government has received a combined R100 million in contributions from various departments and provincial entities towards the fight against crime,” said Gwala.
This was in reaction to the measures announced by Dube-Ncube on Wednesday, which were said to be part of the broader strategy to fight crime.
Dube held a multi-stakeholder engagement with various sectors in the province, including senior police leadership, private security firms, community policing forums (CPFs), traditional leaders and NGOs, aimed at formulating an integrated approach to fighting crime.
“We are really disturbed by the levels of violent crime in our province. In particular, the assassination of public representatives conveys a message of criminals that are running amok. As such, we are taking decisive action against crime in KwaZulu-Natal,” said Premier Dube-Ncube on Wednesday.
In a media statement by Dube-Ncube’s office, it was further indicated that some of the points discussed included:
◆ Strengthening political commitment to make a tangible difference in altering KZN’s crime landscape.
Emphasising the effective use of the CPF as a pivotal link between the community and the police. The province has successfully launched CPF boards in all 11 districts, as well as the Provincial CPF Board. The IFP was, however, unimpressed with the meeting, insisting it had been about rehashing old ideas.
“As the IFP, we have long been calling on authorities to be proactive in addressing crime by providing a detailed plan with tangible solutions,” said Gwala.
He added that the KZN provincial government could not be trusted with the task of fighting crime as it lacked the political will to implement programmes, and expressed worry at the number of illegal guns in circulation which were used to commit crime.
“The increasing availability of weapons has helped drive rising insecurity and crime in KZN, where guns are commonly used to commit a range of crimes.
“The IFP believes that the police must work towards eradicating illegal guns,” the IFP MPL said.
Gwala called for a rethink of the policing strategy, warning that if the matter was not attended to the entire province would become a den of criminals.