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Speech at the Crime Summit in Stutterheim
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Speeches and Media Releases
 Safety Liaison and Transport

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EASTERN CAPE PROVINCIAL GOVERNMENT
 SPEECH BY MEC NEER  AT THE CRIME SUMMIT IN STUTTERHEIM
 18 JULY 2000



Provincial Commissioner
 Provincial Board
 Area Commissioners
 Area Board
 Station Commissioners
 CPFs
 Farmers organisations
 Farm workers
 Business
 CBOs
 Civics
 NGOs and Political Parties

Let me take this opportunity to welcome you in this summit today. I want to appeal to all role players or stakeholders which are present 
today to focus their attention to the end results of this summit. We should come up with a broad frame work defining the problems and also 
generating possible solutions.

This summit should strive to serve as a catalyst in generating ideas and strategies aimed at securing our people who are living in fear 
because of criminals who bear no respect for their lives.

Our vision and mission statement of the department is growth and quality of life through safety and security. We strive to make the Eastern 
Cape the leading Province in providing a safe and secure environment which supports maximum growth and development for all.

All this can be achieved if we could work together as a team, not pinpointing fingers to anybody but work hard for the better safety of our 
people. Recently on the 12 July 2000, I got some news that there was an armed robbery attack on a farm in the Queenstown area. As the 
department we dont want to condemn this Act only but warn those crime busters involved that their days are numbered.

Crime statistics reflect that farm attacks are not aimed exclusively at traditional white farmer, but at the farming community as a whole. 
Various black farm owners have also been targeted over the past couple of years.

The workforce also live in constant danger of being attacked and victimised by the criminal element involved in these attacks.

Research showed that 69 persons had been murdered on farms and small holdings since 1994. Of the total murdered victims 46(66%) were 
indicated as the farm owners, 11(15,9%) as from employees or labourers, 10(14,4%) as relatives of the farmer(wife, child etc) and 2(2,8%) 
aged persons who only reside on the farm as boarders.

The strategies therefore that come from this forum and the follow up workshops should design local strategies aimed at securing short-term, 
medium and long-term solutions which should be informed by our commitment, dedication and courage.

It should be stressed that this summit must aim at strengthening our rural safety structures, improvement of relationships between farmers 
and labourers and more active participation of CPFs in crime prevention projects. My department is also of the view that all stakeholders 
should use this summit as a platform to work together to find solutions for a sustainable strategy that is acceptable and owned by all of 
us.

We should come up at the end with a safety plan that could be used as a yardstick or pilot project not only for the Stutterheim-Cathcart 
area but for the Eastern Cape at large. Let us join all our forces which have the same objectives in an integrated approach in fighting 
crime.

Crime syndicates are well organised, sophisticated, strong and active in order for us to succeed in our war against them, we have to be 
better organised and all the time step ahead of them.

All our structures fighting crime in the Eastern Cape should be coordinated to have the same vision and mission of a safe and secured 
environment. By that, we will be able to defeat our enemy which hails from the devil kingdom with no respect for human lives.

Let me conclude by thanking IMMSA as organisers of this summit and again thanking DFID for sponsoring our workshops, training in 
capacitating our police members in order for them to curb and reduce the levels of crime.

I thank you

MEC DENNIS NEER
 Safety and Liaison

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