Address by MEC Florence Radzilani
3rd Quarter Crime Stats Release – 2023/24
SAPS Limpopo – Provincial Commissioner’s Boardroom
Tue, 27 February 2024.
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The Provincial Commissioner – Lieutenant General Thembi Hadebe.
Deputy Commissioners.
District Commissioners and other Senior Officers within the South Africa Police Services.
The Head of Department – Mr Stephen Matjena.
Officials from the Department of Transport and Community Safety.
Ladies and Gentlemen.
I greet you…
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Programme Director, allow me, to open my presentation, by paraphrasing the words of President Samora Machel, who reminds us that, I quote, “ the state must be the first to be organized and totally committed, to serving the interests of the people”, closed quote.
President Machel said these words, in February 1980, at the dawn of his Country’s Independence, and I do not believe that the material conditions under which these words were uttered, were synonymous to what is happening today, in this Country.
Today, under 30 years of democracy we are a lot more advanced, and the democratic system has created an amenable environment that is responsive to the needs of our people.
But I can safely say, that, what the President of Mozambique was referring to, was a call to action and an inference, that Government has got an obligatory mandate to intervene and make the lives of its people better.
Our transformation agenda will have little or no impact, if we cannot create safer communities, for our people.
We have also reiterated on this, during the Manifesto Launch of the political party that has assigned me into this position.
Our goal is to build capacity and modernize the Police Service, increase the number of Officers, strengthen the Justice System and reduce case backlogs.
These crime statistics, as presented, are an encouraging dictum that indicates that the South African Police Services, remain dedicated to protecting the people of this Country, and her sovereignty.
This is a data-driven approach, that helps us target crime hotspots and adequately direct our resources and personnel to areas where there is a greater need.
There are reassuring break-throughs, that have been underscored during the period under review, which are a clear demonstration of the Police Service’s agility, in the fight against crime.
Programme Director, we are encouraged by how the Police have investigated the murder cases of Magdeline Motlanthe, a Westenburg woman who was murdered together with her son, by people who are closely related to them.
We have also taken note of how the Police have conducted their investigations into the murder case of Modjadji Thoka, of Ga-Thoka Vllage, in Botlokwa.
What was more impressive, with the work of the Police in this murder case, was how the Police managed to quell and suppress any possible community unrest, because members of the public were at a point of taking the law into their own hands.
The infamous murder case of Dr Malekutu Mehlape, a Department of Education Official, who was residing in Mankweng, is another case in point, that has demonstrated the Police’s immeasurable diligence, in investigating crime.
We are also turning the tide in how we are handling cases of sexual offences, as there is a sharp decline between the period under review, and the previous year.
For our part as Government, we will keep on drumming up our message in the fight against Gender based Violence and Femicide, until we reach a state of ‘zero occurrence’.
In addition to functional Community Police and Safety Forums, we must also encourage our communities to take an active part, in the fight against crime.
The tripartite collaboration between our communities, CPF’s and the Police, will go a long way in denting crime levels in our society.
Programme Director, the majority of gender based violence and femicide cases, are taking place in residential premises, and it will take an ‘active citizenry’, to assist the Police in dealing with this type of crime.
The majority of the perpetrators are known, but they are not being reported, because they are either bread-winners, or generally feared people.
The patterns are elusive, depending on the concerted efforts that we deploy, within various localities.
While we applaud the work being done in the Thohoyandou Police Station, we are also worried with the gaping hole that persists in Seshego, Mankweng and Polokwane.
These 3 Stations alone, are the crux of the Capricorn District, which is by far gaining a reputation of becoming the crime capital of the Province.
However, we remain optimistic, because we have seen the resilience and bravery that have been displayed by the Police, in this Province.
As the Executive Authority, I have personally witnessed the numerous intervention strategies that have been deployed in various parts of the Province, which have yielded desirable results.
The prestigious Operation Kukula has made dramatic intrusions, in what used to be referred as nodal points of crime.
The Provincial Government is unflinching, on its position that the extensive hours of alcohol trade, remain a cause for concern, in the fight against crime.
We have recorded several incidents of crime, that are directly or indirectly related, to the consumption of alcohol and its trading hours.
Actually, 24 murder and 17 attempted murder cases were recorded at Liquor outlets, during the period under review.
There are 656 incidents, with an intention to inflict Grievous Bodily Harm, that took place at Taverns, Shebeens, Pubs and other Liquor selling outlets.
It is for this reason, that the Limpopo Provincial Government will continue its crusade to amend the Limpopo Liquor Act, and ensure that it is in-tandem with our attempts to normalise our crime levels.
Samora Machel’s words are still the driving force, that propels us to greater heights, as we strive to build a Government that is responsive to the needs of its people.
This goal we have achieved, and we are confident that with a renewed mandate, after the May elections, we will double our efforts, and continue to build safer communities.
I thank you.
