Programme Director
Members of the Executive Council present
Executive Mayors and Councillors
Provincial SAPS Commissioner, Lieutenant General R. Shivuri
Senior Management of SAPS
Stakeholders in the Safety Sector
Members of the Media
Ladies and Gentlemen

I am happy to join you today at this important occasion, where we will be promoting general safety and crime prevention during the festive season but also making a plea to road users on the importance of road safety.

Before I continue however, I want to reflect on the tragic event that took place a few days ago, that has shocked a community and the entire Province into silence. It made us realise once again that violence in our communities are still an unfortunate reality that our society is still confronted with. To the family, friends and colleagues of the late Makaleni family members, I want to express our heartfelt condolences. Your pain is our pain and your loss is our loss; no amount of words can express the heart-wrenching pain and immense sense of shock that we are enduring at the loss of your loved ones. We can only express our hope and prayers that the Almighty will be your comforter on this tragic journey. May there dear souls rest in peace.

Ladies and Gentlemen

The holiday season is upon and soon we will be entering the festive season. A season that must represent goodwill and reconciliation; however over the past years, the opposite holds true. Today we are joining SAPS to launch the festive crime operation programme. The key focus areas for the Back to Basics approach to policing are to enhance police visibility, ensure efficient utilisation of resources in support of the investigation of crime as well as embark on informed deployment of operational resources and optimally utilise crime intelligence in support of proactive and reactive policing.

During this period, we will also be focusing on social crime-prevention operations aimed at dealing with contact crimes like assault, murder, rape and crimes especially against women and children.  High police visibility will therefore be a central aspect to policing during this festive season period.  The South African Police Services has given the assurance that they have the necessary resources and most importantly that they have the commitment of all the police officers to ensure that we walk the talk. My hope is that this should form part of a new way of doing things, innovatively and speedily.

Dames en Here

Wat belangrik is, in ons pogings om misdaad hok te slaan is ons uitgangspunt dat die polisie alleen nie misdaad kan bekamp nie. Misdaad impak nie slegs op die slagoffers daarvan nie, maar dit kring soveel wyer as net die slagoffers en hul families. Dit impak op die samelewing in sy geheel en het die potensiaal om onwikkeling en vooruitgang te striem as ook ons morele waardes te verwoes.

Wat ook belang is, is die feit dat kriminele lewe nie iewers op ‘n afgeleë eiland waar gemeenskappe nie in kontak met hulle kom nie. Dit is ons vriende, ons families ons bure wat verantwoordelik is vir misdaad wat nie net ons gemeenskappe vernietig nie, maar families en samelewings uitmekaar uit skeer. Dis het elkeen van ons ‘n plig om misdaad te rapporteur wanneer dit voorkom ongeag wie verantwoordelik is. Sodoende help ons bou aan ‘n beter land met ‘n beter toekoms vir ons kinders. Die “Back to Basics approach” word wel deur die Suid Afrikaanse Polisie geloods, maar ons moet dit eien om dit ‘n sukses te maak.

As stated crime is normally on the rise during this period and the aim of these operations will be to raise awareness amongst communities about the rise in especially petty crime.  It therefore stands to reason that we will be intensifying partnership with society in the fight against crime as well as intensifying police visibility during the period. I wish to stress again, that we cannot win the fight on crime without the active support of communities and individuals.

Ladies and Gentlemen

My message will be incomplete if I don’t address the scourge that is currently plaguing our society. The use, abuse and smuggling of drugs should not be undermined and it is currently threatening to destroy society as we know it. There should thus be a concerted focus on the fight against alcohol and drug abuse during this period.  My plea to the police is to continue to intensify operations to eradicate this scourge, especially amongst our young people who are gullible and are abused by drug traffickers and drug lords. It is unforgiveable for drug lords to use young people to carry out their dirty work for them and this is happening daily in our societies.

We urge parents and communities to be vigilant and assist unsuspecting young people who fall prey to drug lords. We need more public awareness campaigns in order to protect young people from being used in this manner. Our future cannot be destroyed by a few greedy individuals who have nothing but the profits from drug proceeds at heart.

This is also the time of year that most of us take a well-deserved break to connect with family and friends in the spirit of the season. This means that we might be finding ourselves on the roads in cars or public transport such as busses and taxis. The number of road accidents in our country and the resultant fatalities and injuries continue to be matters of grave concern. Once more, like we have done every year and will continue to do, we call on all road users, including pedestrians, to listen and respond to all the important messages communicated through the Arrive Alive Campaign. Respecting traffic regulations, wearing seat belts at all times, taking a rest after long distances and generally doing everything that we are advised to do in order to stay safe on the road is non-negotiable and very important.

I would like to encourage all of you to support the Safer Festive Season Operations but also the 16 days of Activism of no violence against women and children which will be launching later this month in Kimberley.  This campaign remains pivotal in creating awareness on the social ills and economic disparities still confronted by women and children. The government and the people of the Northern Cape will continue to work together to ensure that women and children feel and are indeed safe.

As I conclude, I want to call on all communities, starting with you here in De Aar, to work with police to ensure that our communities are safe. We will continue to strengthen partnerships between the public, law-enforcement agencies and other government departments in ensuring a safe and secure environment during the festive season and beyond. We also call upon our police to show zero tolerance especially during this period of the year. As we demonstrated during these festive season operations, we shall ensure that those who rob rape and murder are apprehended and the criminal justice system will ensure that they rot in jail.

We depend on your buy-in because the only and most effective way to fight and eradicate crime is when we have the involvement of the communities we serve. May God Bless you and your family and May God continue to richly bless our Nation during the coming festive season and keep us safe in our homes and on the roads.

Working together, we can and will move this Province and South Africa forward towards better safety and security.

I thank you