Members of the Mayoral Committee (MMCs) responsible for Public Safety in the City of Johannesburg and Ekurhuleni appeared before the Gauteng Legislature’s Portfolio Committee on Community Safety today.
The Committee called the MMCs from the two cities to appear before it in order to brief the Committee on their plans to fight crime and the handling of other police related matters that are currently within the public domain in both cities.
The MMCs appeared before the Committee for the first time since the establishment of the 6th Legislature. This was to all the MMCs to present their crime prevention plans to allow the Committee to have an understanding of these plans in order for the Committee to be able to effectively provide oversight and scrutiny on the work of Metro Police Officers in the two cities.
The Committee will do its own analysis of these plans to identify areas of weaknesses that need improvements and make appropriate recommendations where necessary.
Meanwhile, the Committee further noted with concern the ongoing spat of violence in the City of Tshwane. The Committee is of the view that crime might be the root cause of the tension that has arisen between residents of Tshwane and foreign nationals. The Committee also notes a breakdown of public confidence in law enforcement agencies in the city might have contributed to the ongoing violence.
The Committee has resolved to call the MMC for Public Safety in the City of Tshwane to appear before it on the 5th September 2019 to brief the Committee about the City’s crime fighting plans with a particular focus on dealing with the scourge of drugs in the city to ensure that law and order prevails in Tshwane and there is stability.
The Committee further called on the residents of Tshwane to refrain from taking the law into their own hands in order to serve justice and work with law enforcement agencies to continue doing their work to investigate and arrest those suspected of being involved in criminal activities.
The Committee urges residents of Gauteng to use Committees of the Gauteng Provincial Legislature to resolve their service delivery challenges rather than resorting to violence.
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ISSUED BY GPL’S MEDIA SERVICES ON BEHALF OF THE CHAIRPERSON OF THE PORTFOLIO COMMITTEE ON COMMUNITY SAFETY, HONOURABLE MAPITI MATSENA
For interview requests with the Chairperson of the Portfolio Committee please contact: Mr Thebe Khumalo on
011 498 5948 / 072 266 1021 email: TKhumalo@gpl.gov.za
GAUTENG PROVINCIAL LEGISLATURE
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