Johannesburg - Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi has vowed to tackle crime in the province, including illegal mining and violent crimes.
Lesufi, who is expected to deliver his State of the Province Address (Sopa) on Monday in which he will outline his plans for fighting crime in Gauteng, said crime had become a big problem across the province.
On Saturday, Lesufi conducted a high-level security e-policing roundtable discussion at Noordgesig Primary School in Soweto as part of accelerating the fight against crime, including gender-based violence and femicide, vandalism, corruption, and lawlessness.
The roundtable discussion, which came a day after the police minister released the latest crime figures for the third quarter of 2022, was an opportunity for stakeholders to share knowledge and demonstrate solutions to support the Gauteng provincial government in its efforts to strengthen crime prevention.
The latest figures, which were presented by Police Minister Bheki Cele, revealed that 7 555 people were murdered in the country between October and December last year.
The figures also revealed that at least 80 people were killed daily during the period under review.
The police’s head of crime research, Major-General Norman Sekhukhune, said all provinces showed an increase in murders, except Limpopo.
He said the crime levels in the province and the rest of the country were putting the country under a negative spotlight and preventing the province from retaining talent. Lesufi said fighting crime is not a luxury but a must, adding that tackling crimes, including illegal mining, head-on was part of his priorities.
"To fight crime is not a luxury. It is a must, and I am prepared to lead the fight. If we can’t recruit the best minds to work in Gauteng because they are scared of crime, we must forget about this province being the economic hub of this country.
"Every day in our townships, every day in our communities, someone is being killed. Everyone will migrate out of our province, and by extension, out of our country. We’ll lose good skills, lose job opportunities, and will lose everything we have in our province," the premier said.
Lesufi said public-private partnerships are needed to turn the tables around and said the province would be cutting down on unnecessary expenditure in various departments to meet its goals in the fight against crime.
"We are entering a new phase to make Gauteng a safer place. We are entering a new phase of partnership with those that are at the coal (face) of fighting crime. Let’s combine our energies and make criminals a foreign thing in history in our province," Lesufi said.
Lesufi also revealed that he had procured four helicopters to be deployed in the fight against crime in the province’s hot spots.
The Star