Earlier this week, President Ramaphosa convened the second Presidential Summit on Gender-Based Violence (GBV) and Femicide, four years since the first Summit in 2018 where they pledged “to work … to end the violence that men perpetrate against women and children in South Africa.”
Yet, by the President’s own admission, since 2018 the situation has worsened. SAPS data shows that sexual offences and rape increased by 13% between 2017/18 and 2021/22, while between the first quarter of 2021 and the first quarter of 2022 there was a 52% increase in the murder of women, and a 46% increase in child murders.
Summits do not solve problems like GBV. One must question the logic of committing significant resources to what amounts to a PR exercise, when those funds would arguably have more impact if directed to the frontline NGOs that work to assist survivors of GBV.
While there are many drivers of GBV in South Africa, part of the problem is that we have become desensitised to the brutality of violence in our country because it has become so prevalent. We are no longer shocked by headlines that would be considered abhorrent anywhere else in the world, while our political leadership apparently wants us to take a ‘glass half full’ approach to crime.
Days after the gang rape of eight women in Krugersdorp in August – some by as many as 10 men – our Minister of Police, Bheki Cele, remarked that “the one 19-year-old was lucky [to be] raped by one man.” The Minister would seemingly have us approach rape from a glass-half-full perspective.
The prevalence of crime and violence in South Africa is a complex problem with significant socio-economic drivers. The failure of the education system, sustained unemployment and growing inequality are among the leading causes of the collapse of the rule of law. But, to blame crime on these factors alone, fails to explain the brutality of crime and violence in South Africa relative to countries with similar challenges.
I believe that the problem, as with most problems we face in South Africa, is one with begins with political leadership.
We have a President who convenes misguided GBV Summits to bemoan the state of affairs and spout platitudes about “doing more” while facing probes over his own potentially unlawful actions related to the Phala Phala saga. A President of a criminal syndicate masquerading as a political party, who remained silent while serving alongside the architect of State Capture, former President Zuma.
And we have a quasi-Police Minister who spends more time courting the media at high-profile crime scenes in aid of his personal celebrity status than he does providing the requisite political leadership to reform SAPS and turn the tide against crime.
Given the perpetual rise of crime and violence in South Africa under successive ANC governments, the solution is undoubtedly the unseating of the ANC and their replacement with a caring government that is committed to restoring the rule of law and feelings of safety in South Africa. We cannot expect ordinary South Africans to refrain from criminal behaviour when being a criminal seems to be a minimum requirement for becoming a leader in the ANC.
If we were afforded the opportunity to do so, how would an ActionSA government go about addressing this issue?
Firstly, we would do away with concept of a Minister of Police and introduce a Minister of Law and Order, in function if not in name, which would include some functions currently under the Minister of Justice and Correctional Services.
Restoring the rule of law – one of the seven pillars on which ActionSA is founded – requires a holistic approach. Policing cannot be seen in isolation from Correctional Services, or the prosecutorial functions housed under Justice. These functions – investigation, prosecution, incarceration (where applicable) and rehabilitation – must work in lockstep to put criminals behind bars and ensure that when they leave prison there is less risk of recidivism.
Apart from fixing the pollical coordination of these functions, we need to ensure that they are adequately capacitated and trained to perform their duties. We need to overhaul and professionalise SAPS to restore pride and a sense of duty in the police uniform and badge, and do away with the ANC policies of cadre deployment that have led to the politicisation of the police service. Appointments must be made solely on merit, competence and a commitment to ethical service without fear or favour. Politics has no place in the administrative institution of law enforcement; SAPS must function without political interference.
Indeed, as part of our plan to professionalise SAPS, ActionSA would seek to reengage all those dedicated law enforcement officers who were forced out of institutions like SAPS and the NPA because of their refusal to serve political agendas. I have met countless individuals – of all racial groups – who stand ready to once again serve their country under an ethical government. Our focus must be on ensuring that we create an environment in our law enforcement institutions that is conducive to their return. We must improve the working conditions of law enforcement officers, provide them with modern equipment and ensure they are supported with world class training. We will also ensure that our intelligence services are recapacitated to give our police force the upper hand against criminal organisations.
Next, we would reintroduce specialised units to target priority crimes. This would include the reintroduction of the Scorpions to tackle corruption, the expansion of rural safety units, and the establishment of units to target crimes like human trafficking and illicit financial flows. This must be complemented by specialised courts to deal with certain categories of crime, such as grand corruption (or what we call State Capture).
To increase the performance of the criminal justice system, ActionSA would address the capacity and resource shortages within the court system by increasing budgetary allocations and investing in technological advances that have the potential to improve the judicial process. We must improve law enforcement’s investigative capacity and competency to ensure that criminal evidence is collected, processed and stored in a manner that improves conviction rates.
In terms of GBV, we would drastically increase the bail requirements for repeat offenders accused of gender-based violence and sexual crimes while increasing support to victims of GBV, such as through the funding of women’s shelters and safe houses. Breaking the GBV cycle also requires social intervention; gender equality education must begin at a young age and should be included in the school curriculum.
To fund these interventions, we would cut the expenditure on VIP protection services. Protection services for government officials and public office holders must not be standard, they must instead be provided only when legitimate threats exist. We cannot have politicians unjustifiably spending millions on luxury vehicles and private jets under the guise of security, while ordinary South Africans live in fear.
No government can turn the tide on crime overnight. Change will take time, but it can start immediately. It is imperative that we start this as a matter of urgency. No economy can grow, and no country can flourish in a state of anarchy and lawlessness. The foundation of any nation must be based on the rule of law. I believe that the interventions outlined above, amongst others ActionSA would introduce, would lay a solid foundation from which to tackle crime and violence in South Africa. By reforming SAPS, capacitating the criminal justice system, and taking a zero-tolerance stance on crime and corruption, we can restore the rule of law.
Of course, these interventions must be coupled with efforts to address the underlying socio-economic challenges facing the country, which include improving education and growing the economy. While our people are hungry and sitting in the dark without hope for a better future, we cannot expect any improvements in our crime rates. Providing our people with dignity and economic opportunity is not impossible, but it must begin with the removal of the failed ANC government in 2024. As long as the ANC is in power, we will not see change in South Africa.
Presidential Platitudes and Celebrity Ministers Won’t Turn the Tide on Crime
Earlier this week, President Ramaphosa convened the second Presidential Summit on Gender-Based Violence (GBV) and Femicide, four years since the first Summit in 2018 where they pledged “to work … to end the violence that men perpetrate against women and children in South Africa.”
Yet, by the President’s own admission, since 2018 the situation has worsened. SAPS data shows that sexual offences and rape increased by 13% between 2017/18 and 2021/22, while between the first quarter of 2021 and the first quarter of 2022 there was a 52% increase in the murder of women, and a 46% increase in child murders.
Summits do not solve problems like GBV. One must question the logic of committing significant resources to what amounts to a PR exercise, when those funds would arguably have more impact if directed to the frontline NGOs that work to assist survivors of GBV.
While there are many drivers of GBV in South Africa, part of the problem is that we have become desensitised to the brutality of violence in our country because it has become so prevalent. We are no longer shocked by headlines that would be considered abhorrent anywhere else in the world, while our political leadership apparently wants us to take a ‘glass half full’ approach to crime.
Days after the gang rape of eight women in Krugersdorp in August – some by as many as 10 men – our Minister of Police, Bheki Cele, remarked that “the one 19-year-old was lucky [to be] raped by one man.” The Minister would seemingly have us approach rape from a glass-half-full perspective.
The prevalence of crime and violence in South Africa is a complex problem with significant socio-economic drivers. The failure of the education system, sustained unemployment and growing inequality are among the leading causes of the collapse of the rule of law. But, to blame crime on these factors alone, fails to explain the brutality of crime and violence in South Africa relative to countries with similar challenges.
I believe that the problem, as with most problems we face in South Africa, is one with begins with political leadership.
We have a President who convenes misguided GBV Summits to bemoan the state of affairs and spout platitudes about “doing more” while facing probes over his own potentially unlawful actions related to the Phala Phala saga. A President of a criminal syndicate masquerading as a political party, who remained silent while serving alongside the architect of State Capture, former President Zuma.
And we have a quasi-Police Minister who spends more time courting the media at high-profile crime scenes in aid of his personal celebrity status than he does providing the requisite political leadership to reform SAPS and turn the tide against crime.
Given the perpetual rise of crime and violence in South Africa under successive ANC governments, the solution is undoubtedly the unseating of the ANC and their replacement with a caring government that is committed to restoring the rule of law and feelings of safety in South Africa. We cannot expect ordinary South Africans to refrain from criminal behaviour when being a criminal seems to be a minimum requirement for becoming a leader in the ANC.
If we were afforded the opportunity to do so, how would an ActionSA government go about addressing this issue?
Firstly, we would do away with concept of a Minister of Police and introduce a Minister of Law and Order, in function if not in name, which would include some functions currently under the Minister of Justice and Correctional Services.
Restoring the rule of law – one of the seven pillars on which ActionSA is founded – requires a holistic approach. Policing cannot be seen in isolation from Correctional Services, or the prosecutorial functions housed under Justice. These functions – investigation, prosecution, incarceration (where applicable) and rehabilitation – must work in lockstep to put criminals behind bars and ensure that when they leave prison there is less risk of recidivism.
Apart from fixing the pollical coordination of these functions, we need to ensure that they are adequately capacitated and trained to perform their duties. We need to overhaul and professionalise SAPS to restore pride and a sense of duty in the police uniform and badge, and do away with the ANC policies of cadre deployment that have led to the politicisation of the police service. Appointments must be made solely on merit, competence and a commitment to ethical service without fear or favour. Politics has no place in the administrative institution of law enforcement; SAPS must function without political interference.
Indeed, as part of our plan to professionalise SAPS, ActionSA would seek to reengage all those dedicated law enforcement officers who were forced out of institutions like SAPS and the NPA because of their refusal to serve political agendas. I have met countless individuals – of all racial groups – who stand ready to once again serve their country under an ethical government. Our focus must be on ensuring that we create an environment in our law enforcement institutions that is conducive to their return. We must improve the working conditions of law enforcement officers, provide them with modern equipment and ensure they are supported with world class training. We will also ensure that our intelligence services are recapacitated to give our police force the upper hand against criminal organisations.
Next, we would reintroduce specialised units to target priority crimes. This would include the reintroduction of the Scorpions to tackle corruption, the expansion of rural safety units, and the establishment of units to target crimes like human trafficking and illicit financial flows. This must be complemented by specialised courts to deal with certain categories of crime, such as grand corruption (or what we call State Capture).
To increase the performance of the criminal justice system, ActionSA would address the capacity and resource shortages within the court system by increasing budgetary allocations and investing in technological advances that have the potential to improve the judicial process. We must improve law enforcement’s investigative capacity and competency to ensure that criminal evidence is collected, processed and stored in a manner that improves conviction rates.
In terms of GBV, we would drastically increase the bail requirements for repeat offenders accused of gender-based violence and sexual crimes while increasing support to victims of GBV, such as through the funding of women’s shelters and safe houses. Breaking the GBV cycle also requires social intervention; gender equality education must begin at a young age and should be included in the school curriculum.
To fund these interventions, we would cut the expenditure on VIP protection services. Protection services for government officials and public office holders must not be standard, they must instead be provided only when legitimate threats exist. We cannot have politicians unjustifiably spending millions on luxury vehicles and private jets under the guise of security, while ordinary South Africans live in fear.
No government can turn the tide on crime overnight. Change will take time, but it can start immediately. It is imperative that we start this as a matter of urgency. No economy can grow, and no country can flourish in a state of anarchy and lawlessness. The foundation of any nation must be based on the rule of law. I believe that the interventions outlined above, amongst others ActionSA would introduce, would lay a solid foundation from which to tackle crime and violence in South Africa. By reforming SAPS, capacitating the criminal justice system, and taking a zero-tolerance stance on crime and corruption, we can restore the rule of law.
Of course, these interventions must be coupled with efforts to address the underlying socio-economic challenges facing the country, which include improving education and growing the economy. While our people are hungry and sitting in the dark without hope for a better future, we cannot expect any improvements in our crime rates. Providing our people with dignity and economic opportunity is not impossible, but it must begin with the removal of the failed ANC government in 2024. As long as the ANC is in power, we will not see change in South Africa.