Gauteng residents continue to live in fear, despite Premier Panyaza Lesufi deploying hundreds of crime wardens “Amapanyaza” across the province to help the police prevent and fight crime. This has been made worse because our police stations are not adequately equipped with the much-needed resources to ensure the safety of our residents.
Premier Lesufi’s crime prevention initiative, which is costing millions of rands, is not yielding any positive results, as there has been a sharp increase in serious crimes, which shows that he has failed the residents of Gauteng. According to the third quarter crime statistics for the 2023/2024 financial year, the following crime categories have increased:
| Crime | Quarter Three: 2023/2024 | Quarter Three: 2022/2023 | Quarter Two: 2023/2024 |
| Contact Crime | 51 327 | 50 039 | 46 213 |
| Sexual Offences | 3 066 | 3 145 | 2 620 |
| Rape | 2 441 | 2 471 | 2 096 |
| Carjacking | 2 232 | 3010 | 2 984 |
| Robbery at residential property | 2 229 | 2 130 | 2 253 |
| Robbery at non-residential property | 1 601 | 1 665 | 1 661 |
| Robbery of Cash in Transit | 16 | 17 | 22 |
| Kidnapping
|
2 367 | 1974 | 2 194 |
Furthermore, there were 77 cases of kidnapping for ransom reported, seven cases of extortion, and one case of human trafficking. This is worrying and raises questions about the role that Amapanyaza are doing in assisting the police in fighting crime. Should they have been doing what they claim the crime stats will be showing a different picture.
The high number of rape cases, sexual offences and carjackings is cause for concern. It is clear that the safety of our residents, particularly women and children, is not a priority for this government.
The Democratic Alliance (DA) has a tangible solution to ensure that we reduce crime in Gauteng and make it a safer province for all its residents. We will lobby for the powers of the police to be decentralised so that our police stations can procure the resources they need to fight crime across the province. In addition, the DA will continue to demand that the MEC for Community Safety, Faith Mazibuko, ensures that all Community Policing Forms (CPF) are given the resources they need to help the police to keep our residents safe.