Durban – KwaZulu-Natal Premier Nomusa Dube-Ncube has outlined a series of initiatives aimed at dealing with crime throughout the province.
Delivering her maiden budget vote speech, Dube-Ncube expressed concern over the rise in crime across the province, saying criminals were doing as they wished.
She cited incidents in which community members and crime activists were killed as indications that criminals were on the offensive, but vowed that her administration would not allow the takeover of the province by criminal elements.
“We will never surrender our province to criminals who in recent incidents have become brazen and are sowing fear in communities like Mariannhill, Umbumbulu, uMkhanyakude and many others,” she told members of the Provincial Legislature on Tuesday.
The premier said the intent to fight crime was reflected by the move where each provincial department had allocated R10 million towards crime-fighting interventions
Some of the steps in fighting crime would include:
- Resuming the construction of a concrete wall that will curb the theft of motor vehicles and the movement of illicit goods across the KZN border with Mozambique.
- Setting aside a budget to refurbish a number of police stations including the Mariannhill police station.
- Rolling out white door shelters across every district in the province, to serve as victim-friendly facilities for the gender-based violence victims to receive psycho-social support.
In addition to this, the premier indicated that crime hot spots were being targeted and eliminated as the central pillar to defeat criminal networks.
“Our approach is that crime fighting starts in communities and families not doing, condoning or supporting criminal activities of any kind and of whatever size regardless of who is involved,” the premier continued.
According to Dube-Ncube, more community engagements in the form of izimbizo will be held over the year in a bid to narrow the space for criminals.
The premier’s office primarily plays a co-ordinating role, seeing to it that government departments fulfil their mandates of servicing communities.