According to the fourth quarter report of the 2021/2022 Gauteng Crime Statistics, there has been a 45.2 % increase in reported murder cases, a 31.7% increase in attempted murder, 26% in highjackings and a 11.6 % increase in rape cases which all implies that residents face a dismal future.
These percentages refer to a total of 2792 reported cases of either murder or attempted murder for 90 days which equates to 30 people either being murdered or victims of attempted murder in one day.
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Similarly, a total of 2936 cars were highjacked over 90 days equating to a total of 32 car highjackings daily and a total of 2267 people raped over the 90 days.
Each hour, more than one person is affected, ripped of their dignity and scarred for their life because of the above-mentioned crimes.
These statistics trigger fear for residents as they are scared, wondering if they will be the next victim; they have lost hope in the police services.
The crime statistics report should not only include the crime stats but should also reflect a detailed analysis of the reasons why these crimes were not prevented, what the shortcomings are at these police stations and the challenges in the communities that face these constant increases in crime.
The Gauteng MEC for Community Safety, Faith Mazibuko and Gauteng Provincial Police Commissioner, Lieutenant General, Elias Mawela should include their recommendations with these findings and table a proper plan as to how they are going to address this spate of crime in the next financial year.
The DA has interrogated the Community Safety annual report and the list of police stations that were visited as part of the MEC’s oversight visits. These visits merely confirmed that they comply with legislative requirements, and do not drill into the challenges that stations are facing in curbing crime and carrying out their mandate.
In addition, the DA has done oversight inspections at several police stations over the last few months. We can confirm that our stations are not well equipped or maintained in terms of basic infrastructure and technological requirements, such as electricity, sanitation, and the internet. Hence, Gauteng is in the top 30 of every crime reported nationally. This impacts negatively on the functionality, performance, visible policing, and crime prevention.
The importance of the DA-sponsored Community Oversight Bill is highlighted by the Gauteng SAPS stations’ performance in that it is needed to fight against crimes such as hijackings, rapes, and murders. Criminals have exploited innocent communities due to the lack of a proactive plan by the MEC of Community Safety, Faith Mazibuko, to introduce 24-hour police visibility throughout the province.
The DA will therefore embark on its oversight inspections of all the police stations across the province to ascertain service delivery challenges and compile a comprehensive report of the real state of our police stations. This report will be used as a tool to find tangible solutions which we can table in the Gauteng Provincial Legislature (GPL) to address crime within Gauteng going forward. The residents of Gauteng deserve to feel safe.