Durban - Acting Transport, Community Safety and Liaison MEC Jomo Sibiya says there needs to be a relook on the issuing of liquor licences across KwaZulu-Natal after it emerged that Sweetwaters has no less than 160 taverns and 50 bottle stores.
Sibiya was speaking during a visit with KwaZulu-Natal Police Commissioner Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi to Samukelisiwe Tavern in Sweetwaters, the scene of the deadly shooting of patrons over the weekend.
He said that many taverns and bottle stores should not be allowed to trade in one precinct.
“It cannot be that you have so many people trading in one precinct. There needs to be stricter regulations on the issuing of trading licences to avoid an over saturated market. The Transport Department does that with taxi operating licences, so something should be done in this sector as well,” he said.
Sibiya said the issuing of liquor licences needs to be looked into.
Mkhwanazi appealed to communities to assist in curbing the high rate of violent incidents in the province.
The provincial commissioner admitted that Plessislaer Police Station in Pietermaritzburg was under-resourced to attend the growing community in the greater Edendale.
“The fact is that the station has not been expanded in order to handle the over 300 000 people within its precinct. At the same time though what is the correct number of police that the station should have compared to the community they are serving? I do not know,” said the commissioner.
He added that this placed importance on community activism in the fight against crime.
“If community members can report crimes and criminal activities and help identify those responsible, the police can do a lot better knowing that they have the community support. No matter how many police officers you have, so long as they don’t get support the fight against crime will always be difficult,” the commissioner stressed.
Mkhwanazi told the media that they were following promising leads and had arrested two suspects regarding the shooting.
The commissioner was part of a delegation that included Sibiya and local councillors from Msunduzi Municipality and uMgungundlovu District Municipality who visited the scene and the affected families.