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Provincial Commissioner's meeting
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Speeches and Media Releases
 Safety Liaison and Transport

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 EASTERN CAPE PROVINCIAL GOVERNMENT

Provincial Safety, Liaison and Transport

Address by the MEC for Provincial Safety, Liaison and Transport, Mr Dennis Neer: at the meeting with Provincial Commissioner and Prov. 
Management South African Police Services Month of July, 6 July 1999

Provincial Commissioner
 Provincial Heads of the various SAPS Units and Divisions
 Provincial Management
 Ladies and Gentlemen

I feel greatly privileged that I am addressing this gathering for the first time after the recent democratic elections on June 2 and my 
subsequent appointment for the second term in office as an MEC for the newly established Department for Provincial Safety, Liaison and 
Transport. This is a very great responsibility which has been vested on my shoulders, which will need the co - operation of us all so that 
we fulfil our promises of fighting crime and for a better future for all.

I wish to thank you most sincerely for your support during the previous term and also am strongly confident that we will still work 
together as a team, for the acceleration of service delivery during this term in priority issues such as crime prevention, fighting 
corruption and fraud, both in our society and within the SAPS. A foundation was laid by our former President Nelson Mandela, the hero of 
our struggle for democracy, with us, for nation - building, reconciliation and reconstruction of our society that has been destroyed by 
political violence, crime, poverty, racial discrimination and oppression, the ingredients of Apartheid. Time has come for us now to take 
this process further with our Pres. Thabo Mbeki, to accelerate change and delivery, learning from our previous mistakes and shortcomings.

The challenges facing us ahead

South Africa:

The period we are entering led by the generation of new leadership under Pres. Mbeki is that fast-tracking the pace of delivery and 
consolidating what we have achieved previously. Key to this is ensuring that we create conducive conditions for more job creation, 
investment, alleviation of poverty and strengthening our relations with the rest of Africa to rebuild our Continent and also playing a 
meaningful role in the global community.

The Eastern Cape:

We have entered a period where we shall have to do more work than talk and this message was more evident when our President, then deputy 
president, made a strong conclusion in his elections victory speech on June 3, that "we must all go back to work". We need to realise that 
more still needs to be done to weed out corrupt elements within the Police Service whose conduct has subtracted rather than added to the 
improving image of the SAPS. We must join our President in his crusade to rid our society of the scourge of moral degeneration that leads 
to corruption and crime. As former President, Nelson Mandela put it, " we need and RDP of the soul".

The involvement of police members in burglaries, drug smuggling, theft, rape, armed robberies, assisting suspects to escape, the list is 
endless, cannot be condoned and must come to an end. The racial tensions amongst police officers in our province that manifest themselves 
in various ways cannot be tolerated, it does not matter from whichever angle and from whatever sector it comes. I as a Member of the 
Executive Council shall do all the good at my disposal to ensure that racism is not brought into Service, through the window or backdoor. 
There is so much that the people of this country have sacrificed to uproot racism and build a new nation.

All these anomalies have to come to an end as they adversely affect the contract that we have entered into with our people, that of serving 
them and working in partnership with them to fight crime and build a winning nation towards the new Millennium.

The Provincial and Area Management as well as SAPS members themselves, must put additional effort to eradicate these stumbling blocks and 
if this challenge is beyond their capacity, Government has the will, the power and mandate to do that.

The Eastern Cape Province is one of the focus areas where we still need to test the power of the battery of anti - crime legislation which 
was passed by Government last year, which strengthens our hand in the fight against crime. The recent arrest of police members nationally 
and in the province for suspicions of being involved in various crimes, which are of serious nature, though some of us may pretend that 
they are petty, indicates that we have a virus in our midst that we need to eradicate which will soon contaminate every member of the 
service, like the HIV virus and AIDS is to society. We need to fight this virus with the same determination as we are fighting HIV/AIDS.

The present anti - crime legislation will ensure that our criminal justice system is harsh on offences committed by law enforcement 
officials or as part of a syndicate. The message from this is clear. We will continue purging the Service of all the rot that is in 
collusion with the criminals.

Transformation of the SAPS:

Both the President in his opening speech to Parliament and the National Minister for Safety and Security in his Parliamentary Media 
Briefing last week, indicated to us how transformation of the SAPS at all levels will take place, so that it becomes, in the words of the 
President, "the pride of the nation". To reiterate what they said, representativity in the Service will be pursued on an on - going basis 
precisely because only a more representative service can be capable of eliminating pressure groups and ensuring maximum unity within the 
ranks of the SAPS. As Minister, Steve Tshwete also put it, by the end of the year we shall have attained a 50/50 representativity index in 
key management areas. We want to assure the Minister that we, in the province, will stick to that objective. Representativity is but one of 
the various aspects of transformation of the SAPS which will be a priority this year. This on its own is a clear message that needs no 
explanation.

Strengthening of the Criminal Justice System:

The criminal law alone cannot succeed in dealing with the increasing complexity, flexibility and sophistication of organised crime 
operations that are taking place in our province in particular and the country as a whole.

It is therefore necessary for us that we prepare our personnel and institutions in such a way that in terms of skill, efficiency and 
dedication, they serve the interests of our country and our people and stand up to the best in the private sector.

It bears emphasising that the objectives of efficiency and high levels of productivity and the levels of work discipline, managerial 
responsibility, accountability and responsiveness to the public interest, should become the hallmark of those who work in the SAPS and the 
criminal justice departments. We must build and strengthen teamwork amongst members of the departments whose work have a bearing on the 
efficiency of the criminal justice system.

In line with the National Crime Prevention Strategy, we have to strengthen the integration of our activities, systems, processes and 
information, so that the criminal justice system is reformed to remove blockages and improve efficiency that will be an effective deterrent 
to crime. We need to co - ordinate the functions and activities of Correctional Services, Justice and Safety and Security, so that at the 
end with form a synergy that is effective in combating crime and not compete against one another.

Conclusion:

In conclusion, I wish to commend those members of the SAPS who are making Herculean efforts in the fight against crime, often exposing 
themselves to great personal danger.

I also wish to pay homage to those police officers who paid the supreme price in the course of duty, such as Sergeant Lulama Ngqalo of the 
Tsolo Police Station who was shot dead by unknown assailants in the past two weeks. We pay tribute to this patriot and others, may their 
souls rest in peace.

We, as the Department, condemn the senseless murder of policemen and women, and further wish to promise that the newly formed multi - 
disciplinary committee to investigate police killings, whose work will also cover the Eastern Cape, will give us more ammunition to launch 
a full - scale war against police murderers, without any mercy.

We have the fullest confidence in the majority of police officers who toil to ensure the safety and security of the citizenry. Hence, unity 
in the SAPS is a critical element in our drive to bring the criminals to their knees.

Strengthening of morality values:

We need to emphasise the strengthening of values of morality as they occupy a prominent place in preventative measures against crime. The 
capacity to mobilise for this lies within political parties, trade unions, the non - governmental popular organisations, the media and the 
public.

At this juncture allow me to quote from the address delivered by Pres. Thabo Mbeki during his inauguration in Pretoria on June 16, where he 
said:

"Our days will remain forever haunted when frightening numbers of the women and children of our country fall victim to rape and other 
crimes of violence. Nor can there be peace of mind when the citizens of our country feel they have neither safety nor security because of 
terrible deeds of criminals and their gangs. Our days and our nights will remain forever blemished as long as our people are torn apart and 
fractured into contending factions by reason of racial and gender inequality, which continue to characterise our society. Neither can peace 
attend our souls as long as corruption continues to rob the poor of what is theirs and to corrode the value system, which sets humanity 
apart from the rest of the animal world".

The above statement is clearly indicative of the direction we have to move. We have to put aside our differences, in an effort to combine 
ourselves into one nation of many colours, many cultures and diverse origins, within the Police Service and society in general.

Lastly, in his inauguration speech, the Premier of the Province said " There is no room for loafers, lazy people and careerists." In deed, 
it is true that there is work to be done and it must be done from now on. Our people and their Government are looking forward to 
accelerated, effective and efficient service from the SAPS.

So, to the rest of you, let us go back to work so that:

* we accelerate the pace of delivery;
* we fight crime with more determination and commitment;
* we create a more safe and secure environment
* and we work together, in partnership, with the people for change, for the future and towards the African Century.

I thank you

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