Further engagement on SAPS Crime Statistics Q4 2021/21; with Deputy Minister

Meeting report

Opening Remarks by the Chairperson

The Chairperson opened the virtual meeting, welcoming the Members and all the guest delegates. She said that she had received a number of complaints from the Members, because they received the Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) presentation very late; Members only received the presentation at about 02:30pm on the day before this meeting. The presentation was quite detailed, and the Members indicated that there was insufficient time to study the presentation. The Committee informed the Ministry and the South African Police Services (SAPS), in writing, that the presentations should be with the Committee seven days in advance. The item of the FSL will be removed from the agenda; the Committee will proceed with further deliberation on the crime statistics.

Adoption of minutes

The Committee considered and adopted its minutes of 03 June 2022.

Committee Research Report on the Quarter Four Crime Statistics

Ms Nicolette van Zyl-Gous, Committee Researcher, presented a research report on the Quarter Four crime statistics for January to March 2022.

She said that the Committee should consider comparing the last quarter of the 2021/22 financial year to the last quarter of the previous financial year, because it occurred during different levels of lockdown regulations. It could be argued that the level-three lockdown regulations created outlier data, which makes the comparison quite difficult, in that the lockdown did have a significant effect on the crime statistics.

All categories of contact crime increased significantly over the fourth quarter of the 2021/22 financial year; these crimes are the most feared because it is quite violent. When considering a linear trend for contact crime, it is quite clear that there has been a significant change in the quarters.

The contact crime per capita, which is the ratio per 100 000 of the population, is important to consider. In the fourth quarter of the 2021/22 financial year, the per capita ratio for all contact crime was the highest compared to the same period, over a five financial year period. The per capita ratio was particularly high in common assault and assault with intent to do grievous bodily harm. It is clear that communities are having difficulty with conflict resolution, considering that most murders, attempted murders and assault with intent to do grievous bodily harm are mostly caused by arguments and misunderstanding. It is important that the SAPS delve deeper into these causative factors.

Between January and March 2022, the SAPS recorded 6 083 murder cases, which is the highest number of murder cases over a five-year period. The leading causative factor for murder remains arguments and misunderstandings. It is also very concerning that the second most prevalent causative factor for murder was mob justice; this could indicate a certain level of distrust in the criminal justice system. Almost half of all murders were committed in public spaces. Environmental design, and factors like proper lighting, can improve policing.

The murder of police members increased quite significantly in the fourth quarter of the 2021/22 financial year and over the whole financial year. A total of 109 police members were murdered during the past financial year. It is the priority of the Minister and the National Commissioner to look into the safety of police members.

Sexual offences increased by 13.7% in the fourth quarter; the SAPS recorded 13 799 cases of sexual offences, which is 1 666 more cases than the previous financial year. Rape represents the most prevalent category of sexual offences; rape is almost 80% of the total sexual offences committed from January to March 2022. The leading place where rapes are committed remains the residence of the perpetrator or victim; the second leading place where rapes are committed is public spaces.

It is quite disturbing that there has been a significant increase in contact crimes against women and children. A total of 306 children were murdered between January and March 2022. Between January and March 2022, the SAPS recorded 28 671 cases related to domestic violence; 197 murders and 207 attempted murders were related to domestic violence.

The categories of aggravated robbery include the so-called “trio crimes”, including carjacking, robbery at residential premises and robbery at non-residential premises. From January to March 2022, 15 369 trio crimes were reported, which is an increase of 4.7% compared to the same period of the previous financial year.

Robbery of cash-in-transit increased by 26.2% in the fourth quarter of 2021/22 compared to the same period of the previous financial year. Between January and March 2022, SAPS recorded 53 cases of cash-in-transit robbery. During the fourth quarter of 2021/22, five cases of bank robbery were recorded. During the same period of the previous financial year, one bank robbery was recorded. Truck hijackings increased by 31.4% in the fourth quarter of 2021/22 compared to the same period of the previous financial year (111 more truck hijackings). Between January and March 2022, the SAPS recorded 465 cases of truck hijackings. The increases recorded in carjacking, truck hijacking and cash-in-transit robberies must be addressed by the police. These are areas in which intelligence-led policing must be intensified to disseminate crime syndicates and bring economic stability.

Incidents of kidnapping increased significantly by 109.2% in the fourth quarter of the 2021/22 financial year compared to the same period of the previous financial year. Between January and March 2022, the SAPS recorded 3306 cases of kidnapping, which is an increase of 1726 cases compared to the previous financial year.

South African Human Rights Commission Comments

Rev Chris Nissen, the South African Human Rights Commissioner, South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC), said that there are many women and men in blue who go beyond their duty to ensure that South Africans are kept safe.

On the crime statistics analysis, it would have been helpful to have a comparison of the statistics prior to the Covid-19 pandemic, because the years of the Covid-19 pandemic had certain disaster management measures in place and gave a full sense of security. When one looks at the crime statistics, one also looks at the areas where the crime happens. “Through the SAHRC, the National Preventive Mechanism (NPM) has found that we are living in a dysfunctional society, particularly in the areas of townships and informal settlements”, he added. There is unemployment, inequality and poverty. He urged all stakeholders need to be involved in trying to find a solution as to how to deal with the dysfunctional issues in society.  SAPS are not the only institution that needs to deal with crime; the society and communities also need to be on board. The SAPS are recommended to be involved in the communities and to remind the South African communities that they do have a responsibility to support SAPS in preventing and combating crime.

The performance appraisals also need to look into how the SAPS local stations and its members are awarded points in terms of how they work with the community in combating crime. There are plans in place to revitalise the Community Policing Forums (CPFs) for it to be more effective, but the CPFs should not be politicised. There are many CPF representatives that are doing great work that should be accorded the recognition and be more equipped with resources, particularly in the poorer areas. The style of the imbizos should also be changed; there should be more attention to community intervention. Rev. Nissen gave an example of Constable Abrahams of Nyanga Police Station, who used social policing to identify primary school children that are susceptible to crime involvement, by changing their mindset and their attitude.

He questioned what had happened to the moral regeneration project in this country; he appealed that the institutions in society should create an environment to help the community in combating and preventing crime. He urged that people should stop buying stolen goods, because buying stolen goods creates dysfunctionality in society.

Rev. Nissen said that the issues with the FSLs should be regarded as urgent issues, or else rape and murder victims will not get the justice that they deserve. There should be continuous and firm engagement with communities to combat mob justice.

The SAHRC are really concerned about the safety and the right to life, particularly with gender-based violence. There is a lot more education and training needed at the police station level. The SAHRC has offered to interact with police stations from time to time, to bring in the issue of human rights and to sensitise the members to all of these issues. The SAHRC has to uphold the right to life, safety and protection in this country. While the SAHRC will continue to support the SAPS, it urged the SAPS to have greater, sustainable and workable community interaction.

There are some police stations that are in such a poor state that they are crime breeders as well. He pleaded for all of the police members to go out of their way. He encouraged the support of the Khayelitsha Development Forum for the summit that will be hosted on 16 June, to look into the issue of the killings across the Cape Flats. He also asked that the Ministry and Committee support the initiative by Lt. Gen. (Adv) TE Patekile, Provincial Commissioner: Western Cape, in trying to build a better relationship between coloureds and black Africans in this province. In the last few weeks, there were ethnic and racial tensions, which led to the unfortunate death of an innocent person.

Rev. Nissen reiterated that we are living in a dysfunctional society and all of the departments need to be brought together to mobilise the support to make South Africa a safer society for women, girl children, men and boy children. He said that he comes from a tradition where a Freedom Charter was adopted. The last part of that Freedom Charter said that “there shall be peace and friendship in South Africa”. Unfortunately, this still has to be realised.

Discussion

Mr A Whitfield (DA) said that the research report really analysed the crime statistics in a very useful way and highlights the horrific nature of the violent crime that is capturing the country. When this Committee is united behind an issue, then it is able to get things done. The Committee made sure that rape kits were rolled out in 2019, by holding SAPS accountable. The Committee has put pressure on the SAPS to develop a turnaround strategy for the FSL, which is yielding some positive results. The Committee has also been able to adopt the Criminal Law (Forensic Procedures) Amendment Bill by putting pressure on the Executive to bring the overdue Bill before the Committee. In the same manner in which the Committee has tried to strengthen the criminal justice system, the Committee need to unite in the key interventions to which it will hold the SAPS accountable.

He suggested that the Committee would need a presentation from the Private Security Industry Regulatory Authority (PSIRA) and SAPS, in terms of how private security and SAPS can work closely and in a more coordinated way. The SAPS need to make use of evidence-based policing, because the evidence is in the statistics. When the statistics are analysed properly, the SAPS are able to look at patterns and that evidence can assist the SAPS when deploying resources and strategies to tackle specific areas where certain crimes are the highest. Most violent crimes occur over the weekends. SAPS therefore need to ensure that its human resource deployments are balanced, so that it is not short-staffed over the weekends.

The strengthening of the FSLs must remain on the agenda. Unless the SAPS is able to reduce recidivism in this country, it will not be able to deal decisively with repeat violent criminals, which is why the Criminal Law (Forensic Procedures) Amendment Bill has been so important. He suggested that the Committee should receive a report from the Civilian Secretariat for Police Service (CSPS) and SAPS on the repeat criminals, so that the Committee can understand the high rate of recidivism in South Africa and develop targeted interventions.

The SAPS cannot deal with the high rate of violent crime in the country on its own; it needs a coordinated approach with strategic interventions across the country and in specific locales where crime takes a particular shape. He proposed that the Committee receive a presentation from the Ministry on what kind of impact the National Security Council can make in this respect. The fact that the National Security Council is not convening on a regular basis to analyse the crime statistics and develop a coordinated response is a missed opportunity; this body should exist to tackle national security threats. There is no greater national security threat at the moment, than the high rate of violent crime in South Africa, which is undermining the authority of the state and the safety of its communities.

Mr O Terblanche (DA) said that he was not pleased that the SAPS had not submitted the presentations timeously, which does not allow the Committee to engage with the documents properly. It was a very important meeting, yet the Minister needed to be somewhere else. He had previously suggested that if the Minister is unavailable to attend on Wednesday mornings, the Committee should meet on another day.

On a continuous basis, there have been matters referred to this Committee that had not been finalised. For instance, further discussion with the Department of Public Works and Infrastructure (DPWI) and the SAPS. In the previous meeting, it was agreed that the Committee would have a break-away session with the SAPS and police unions on the SAPS Organisational Climate Survey. He questioned the role of Committee’s in this engagement.

He felt that this Committee is crippled by the non-performance of the police at the moment. It is true that the police cannot police properly on their own, but it must be remembered that the policing strategy states that partnership policing must be pursued. In partnership policing, the police are the active partner. He suggested that the Provincial Commissioners should come before the Committee to account for the crime statistics in their provinces.

While environmental design is important, he asked what measures the SAPS has in place to ensure that the role-players attend to this, because, for many years to come, the environmental design is not going to be rectified.

The information conveyed by Rev. Nissen was very useful. It is clear that the SAPS need an integrated approach to include other departments that can play a role in combating and preventing crime. The SAPS need to relook its policing style and implement “total policing”, which is a very well-known policing tactic.

The Chairperson said that she had regularly requested that the Members should inform her if they had items that they wish to place on the agenda, so that she can place urgent matters on the agenda when the programme is prepared. She has consistently done exactly what the Committee had requested her to do. Whenever Members recommend or request anything in the Committee, she responds to it urgently.

Dr P Groenewald (FF+) noted that Rev. Nissen mentioned one of the core issues when it comes to crime – the social ills. This is a scope that is far bigger than just the Portfolio Committee on Police. There are other countries in Africa that are much poorer but do not have high rates of crime like South Africa. The different causative matters of crime have been identified. For instance, arguments and misunderstanding are the leading causative factor for murder. The second leading causative factor for murder is vigilantism or mob justice.

He recalled that, about seven years ago, there was a debate in Parliament where he had mentioned that they should take note of the mob justice that was taking place in South Africa. The country is now at the stage where mob justice is the second leading causative factor for murder. It means that society and communities no longer have trust and faith in the SAPS.

He asked for clarity on how the SAPS defined a farm murder.

Mr H Shembeni (EFF) said that it is worrying to speak about crime that is escalating, especially because crime has increased during this Committee’s term of office. On the provinces that contribute to the high levels of crime, he asked what interventions the provinces needed. He said that the Generals that are responsible for the different regions should come before the Committee to account. He questioned the capacity of the top ten crime stations. He recalled that he had once suggested that the Committee should receive a quarterly report on the capacity of police stations.

He asked how effective the management information centres are at police stations, and questioned if it assists in detecting crimes. He said that there are areas where crime is high but one does not see a single police officer in sight. He asked if the SAPS still had Crime Intelligence, if yes, then it should be disbanded because they are not doing anything. There are no intelligence-driven operations at station level.

He said that oversight visits to Provinces and police stations are a struggle because of the time and budget, but the duty of this Committee is to see what is happening with crime in South Africa. The Committee should make oversight visits to the stations to find out the root causes of these crimes, especially where there are cover-ups and corrupt management in the SAPS.

He recalled that the SAPS management reported that there were firearms that were meant for destruction but were sold; these firearms are being used in crime every day. The murder of police officers should be regarded as a crime against the state. Something must be done so that people can respect the police officers.

He asked if the SAPS are taking in new applications for the new recruits or if the SAPS would consider those who had already applied but were not called.

Ms N Peacock (ANC) said that this meeting should be a solution-oriented meeting. The crime statistics have shown that there is a crisis. The Committee should assist in finding a solution to ensure that the next crime statistics report has an improvement.

She said that the environmental design does have an impact on crime, especially in rural areas where there are no streetlights. The SAPS will never be able to fight crime alone. She questioned how the municipalities can play a role in order to assist the SAPS to make people feel safe. The problem of undocumented immigrants is also significant. She questioned how the SAPS would reduce crime if its sister departments are not doing their part. She recalled that, during an oversight visit, the SAPS members reported that they are trying their best, but the problem is that other departments are not assisting to fight crime. If this Committee does not find a way to bring the other departments on board, then the same problems will persist. The SAPS will not be able to fight crime alone.

Deputy Minister’s Comments

Mr Cassel Mathale, Deputy Minister of Police, commended the analysis in the crime statistics research report, as it was very informative. He said that the SAPS have taken note of the issues that the Members have raised, and SAPS will look into how it can improve and collaborate with other stakeholders that will assist in the fight against crime. He agreed with Mr Whitfield’s comment, that private security is a force multiplier. The SAPS need to strengthen this understanding to ensure that it responds to the challenges that it is confronted with.

SAPS Responses

Lt. Gen. Godfrey Lebeya, National Head, Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (DPCI), said that the research report has been noted and he has observed the areas that affect the DPCI mandate, especially with regard to the cash-in-transit and murder of police officials. All of the debates, proposals and inputs have been noted. He said that the name of the SAPS should be correctly identified, in that it is the South African Police Service and not the South African Police Services. There is often an error where people add an “s” at the end of “service”, which is often seen in official documents.

Gen Fannie Masemola, National Commissioner, SAPS, apologised for the late submission of the FSL presentation. Moving forward, he will ensure that there is a timeous flow of correspondence and presentations. The crime statistics for January to March 2022 do not look well. The SAPS has implemented measures within the first quarter of this current financial year, and the management of SAPS had a work session in mid-May to interrogate plans on what needs to happen.

The SAPS have identified the continuous problem of the top 30 contact crime stations and drew up a specific plan to address it, because these are the most feared crimes. The SAPS will ensure that it allocates resources towards the specific plan and deploy the new recruits to the top 30 contact crime stations where there are shortages. On 01 April 2022, the SAPS also implemented a plan that determines which days are for oversight inspections and operations.

In terms of the crime statistics, it is not only the police that is responsible but the visibility of the police does address most of the crime. The environmental factors do affect policing, especially in the Cape Flats where there are areas where one cannot drive. The least that the police can ask is to have accessible streets, where the police can drive. This will go a long way in assisting the police. In this financial year, the SAPS are training some members of the airwing and procuring drones to assist with policing in the density-populated and inaccessible areas.

On private security as a force multiplier, the SAPS do have a project with the Private Security Industry called the Eyes and Ears Initiative. If the security guards identify crime, then they are able to directly contact the local station where they can access the police to respond.

He agreed with Dr Groenewald’s comment that mob justices are an indication that the communities have lost faith not only in the police but in the justice system, because there are many criminals who are arrested over and again but get released on bail. Within the plans that are developed, part of the role of the detectives is to ensure that it identifies the repeat bails per station, district and province, which includes parolees; those that are wanted and plea bails. This is to reduce the number of people that continuously commit crime.

He has taken note of the comment made by Mr Shembeni, on the crimes caused by firearms, particularly in the Free State; the SAPS will follow up on this. The SAPS have also observed the new tendency of discharged firearms at funerals. When the SAPS become aware of this, it proactively deploys members.

The SAPS are busy with the programme for the renewal of the CPFs. In some areas, it was identified that some CPFs are not as recognised by the community. In such instances, the SAPS direct the provincial management that such CPFs should be re-established to be inclusive of the community.

Maj. Gen. Norman Sekhukhune, Component Head: Crime Registrar, said that ‘farm attacks’ have since been redefined as acts of violence against persons in rural areas. For the purpose of reporting, this refers to the acts of violence against persons residing on, working on or visiting farms and small holdings – whether with intent to murder, rape, rob or inflict bodily harm. In addition to that, all acts of violence against the infrastructure and property in rural communities aimed at disrupting legal farming activities as a commercial concern are also included. Cases related to domestic violence, liquor abuse or resulting from commonplace and social interaction between people are excluded from this definition. From the above definition, some of the murders that have happened on farms might have been domestic violence or liquor abuse and would therefore not be regarded as an act of violence against persons in rural areas.

Lt. Gen. Michael Motlhala, Divisional Commissioner: Visible Policing and Operations, said that one of the good aspects of the Eyes and Ears Initiative is that it is a joint initiative with the SAPS, Private Security Industry and Business Against Crime South Africa (BACSA), which allows the sharing of data that is generated through the systems – which will allow SAPS to track, trace and arrest the perpetrators of crime.

The SAPS will continue to work with the SAHRC to strengthen education and awareness, especially in the identified hotspot areas where communities commit mob justice. The SAPS had a Spiritual Crime Prevention session in February, and invited the Moral Regeneration Movement, as well as faith-based organisations as part of the strategic session. The SAPS plan to have these initiatives in the different provinces, with a focus on the identified hotspots.

He confirmed that the SAPS are part of the Khayelitsha Development Forum planning, which will take place on 16 June 2022. The SAPS also has initiatives that are becoming more focused on a community-based level through street-based imbizos, especially if repeat offences are identified in those areas.

In response to Mr Whitfield’s comment about the National Security Council, Lt. Gen. Motlhala confirmed that he attended a meeting in May, which was chaired by the President, where the National Security Estimates were presented by the National Intelligence Co-ordinating Committee (NICOC), which was spot on and will be referred to the National Security Council.

In terms of addressing the issues of environmental design, the SAPS will encourage and monitor the involvement of its station commanders, district commissioners and cluster commanders, especially in the integrated development programmes that are strategic platforms where the budget and plans of the local municipalities are developed. The station commanders, district commissioners and cluster commanders will have an opportunity to raise issues of environmental design, including other related issues that should be incorporated into the integrated development plan.

Gen. Masemola said that the SAPS are working on the management and filling of posts for its Crime Intelligence. The SAPS piloted a new intervention in the Western Cape, where crime intelligence members are deployed at every top 30 police station with the most contact crimes; this is a pilot, and it might be rolled out countrywide.

There are crimes that happen in areas that are reachable to the police, but there are also crimes that are impossible to police, especially crimes that happen within houses or in inaccessible places. The SAPS deploys its members everywhere but there are hindrances, like densely-populated and informal structures that restrict policing.

Chairperson’s Comments

The Chairperson requested the number of murders per 100 000 population, because this is the international benchmark. The crime statistics that are presented to the Committee are looked at globally. She is concerned that the crime statistics are outdated and do not provide a global picture of crime in the country.

She noted that Mr Whitfield has regularly made comments about economic-based crimes. She said that the Committee would like to know about the theft on railway tracks and incidences of illegal trade of copper, etc. The Committee should also be informed of crime related to climate change. For instance, there has been social unrest after the floods in KwaZulu-Natal.

The Committee has consistently raised concern about the vacancies in Crime Intelligence. She requested a report on the filling of vacancies in Crime Intelligence. The ongoing and rapid digitalisation is accompanied by unprecedented risks, such as cyber-security threats and ransomware. She asked if Crime Intelligence is outpaced to respond to such threats effectively. Cyberthreats have already contributed to a negative credit rating in the country.

She asked how many illegal immigrants have been arrested. She understood that there is a humanitarian crisis and persistent economic hardships in other countries, such that people embark on perilous journeys in search of a better future abroad. She asked that the Committee be informed of the categories of migration and the challenges of migration.

The Committee has not received any information on transnational crime, which has increased. She asked for the statistics on the crimes that the SAPS detect across the country's borders. Attacks on critical infrastructure are becoming more advanced. She also asked if the SAPS are investigating the perceived threats at Eskom. The crime statistics that are presented to the Committee need to be more detailed.

She has serious concern about the FSL and Central Firearms Registry (CFR). South Africa has a high recidivism rate, yet it is not a category in the crime statistics. She said that the Committee are going to make a lot of noise about Crime Intelligence. The previous National Commissioner did not have Crime Intelligence reports ahead of the July 2021 unrest. The SAPS were taken by surprise and had no intelligence report when it came to the planning of their response. She asked if there was a possibility of a resurgence of unrest. There have been escalations in racial tensions, social unrest and protests related to Operation Dudula.

The Corruption Perception Index ranked South Africa very high out of 180 countries. She asked the DPCI how the country should retain momentum and strengthen its anti-corruption measures. The Committee requests and indication of how many cases of corruption were reported to and investigated by the Zondo Commission.

Comments by the South African Human Rights Commission

Rev. Nissen said that to combat crime, there should be involvement from civil society and government departments. There might come a time, when the SAHRC will have to use its powers if it notices that the attempts and engagements are not falling on the right ears, because the life of people in this country is important. Every murder is one murder too many. It is really a concern when one looks at the murders that happened in the Cape Flats and how many murders happened in South Africa. If one compares the 6 083 murders that took place in South Africa within a quarter, to the 4 900 killings that took place in the war in Ukraine, then it is really a concern.

He urged the SAPS management to continue with meaningful community and civil society engagement, so that all South Africans can be united in combating crime. The SAPS need to enlist the continued support of law enforcement such as the Metro Police. Overall, law enforcement is doing excellent work and making inroads in supporting the SAPS in the Western Cape.

Rev. Nissen confirmed that the SAHRC hope to have its draft report on the July 2021 unrest finalised by the end of July and have it finalised in the next two months. With the recent national disaster that happened in KwaZulu-Natal, he is concerned that, if there are insufficient reparations, restructuring and repairing, then it might lead to perceptions that the government has failed its people. It may also further lead to another uprising or violent protest. The SAHRC has urged the KwaZulu-Natal government to ensure that it does what is good, to ensure that its people do not go without water. The stakeholders should not be tourists in the sight of the disaster and pain of its people, but it should hold the government accountable and ensure that things are done properly.

The Khayelitsha Development Forum, which will be hosted on 16 June, aims to bring all the stakeholders together to find a sustainable and collective response to address the issues of parolees, human trafficking, extortions, killings and mob justices, etc.

Further Discussion

Mr A Seabi (ANC) agreed that the fight against crime should be an integrated approach. He asked the SAPS whether it has plans to meet with other stakeholders and police unions that will assist in the fight against crime. He recalled that, when the National Commissioner was appointed, he had spoken of the priority to raise the morale of police officers and have effective wellness programmes for police officers. He asked the National Commissioner how far along he was with these plans.

He recalled that the Minister of Police raised concern about the number of police on the ground, in comparison to the population. He is pleased that there are 10 000 new recruits and that there will be 5 000 new recruits in the next financial year. He asked if it was possible to increase the number of recruits for the next financial year to 10 000.

He agreed that the Provincial Commissioners should be invited to present their plans to address crime in their provinces, because the circumstances might not be the same in all provinces. He asked the SAPS how far it was with the filling of vacancies for the Crime Intelligence division. 

Mr Terblanche asked whether the SAPS have already engaged with other departments to have an integrated approach to addressing crime. He asked if the SAPS had a turnaround strategy for each top 30 contact crime station and if the performance of these stations was monitored on a continuous basis. He asked if the SAPS were aware of the threat of a total lockdown on 10 June and if the SAPS were prepared for this.

Mr Whitfield asked if the SAPS had active measures to combat the cable theft issue and whether the SAPS would consider including cable theft in the next set of crime statistics. He asked if copper theft could potentially be given its own crime code to more accurately monitor the effect of this public infrastructure theft and vandalism.

The Chairperson assured Mr Whitfield that the Committee will request that SAPS create a category for the destruction of public infrastructure, including cable theft.

Ms Peacock observed that the crime statistics during the lockdown and January to March 2022 have a vast difference, because of the curfews. She said that the SAPS should consider that all liquor outlet licences should be reviewed as a way to manage crime.

Mr Shembeni asked under which category the cross-border criminal activities were recorded and what are the SAPS doing about it.

Responses

The Deputy Minister said that the SAPS appreciate what the SAHRC is doing; the SAPS will commit to working with other organisations that are geared on the fight against crime.

Gen. Masemola said that he has taken note of the Committee’s directives on the crime statistics, especially with the categorisation of the critical infrastructure crimes. In terms of the floods in KwaZulu-Natal province, he said that the intelligence has indicated that if the local government does not respond to the concerns of the communities, then it is likely that there will be people that might resort to protests. The KwaZulu-Natal local government has been made aware to prioritise those areas and attend to the concerns within a reasonable time.

The SAPS are aware of the information about a possible shutdown on 10 June, due to various reasons, especially the price of petrol. All of the Provincial Commissioners have been alerted to be prepared for whatever may come.

The SAPS do have specific plans to address the top 30 contact crime stations; these plans will be assessed on a weekly basis to monitor the impact that has been made. The filling of Crime Intelligence vacancies should be finalised within this current month.

Lt. Gen. Francinah Vuma, Deputy National Commissioner: Support Services, said that the SAPS highlighted the challenges with regard to its Employee Health and Wellness (EHW) services during last week's presentation. The SAPS has 621 EHW personnel nationally, which is not enough to cover the entire SAPS population. The SAPS has committed to increasing the capacity of its EHW services.

Maj. Gen. Sekhukhune said that, when the SAPS looks into the places of occurrence of the crimes, it will identify which crimes have occurred at the borders, but it should be mindful to have clean categorisations and not double count. For instance, a motor vehicle may have been hijacked in a different area but only detected as it is about to cross the border. In such instances, it will be reported as theft of motor vehicle in another area and not at the border.

The SAPS will also look into categorising cable theft, as it is currently reported under “all theft” and not mentioned elsewhere. He agreed that the crime categories could be cleaned up, as some crimes are reported under broad categories.

Gen. Masemola said that the SAPS do have regular intergovernmental collaborative meetings, and the SAPS are also part of the Justice Crime Prevention and Security (JCPS) Cluster. However, the attendance of some departments is a challenge. He will look into matters that relate to local governance, because most of the problems of policing emanate from local government challenges that end up becoming policing challenges.

Lt. Gen. Elias Mawela, Provincial Commissioner: Gauteng, said that Gauteng had established the Essential Infrastructure Task Teams in all of the districts of the province. In total, there are 30 task teams that are operating on a 24-hour basis and divided in accordance to the regions. These task teams have dealt well with the people who are stealing cables and damaging the infrastructure. In the past week, the SAPS arrested three South Africans in Centurion who were found with a massive bulk of cables that belonged to Telkom. In Johannesburg, Industria West, two Chinese nationals were found with a lot of cables that belonged to Eskom. The SAPS also recently arrested two foreign nationals in City Deep that were found with a big bulk of stolen cables that were attempted to be exported. One big exporter was also arrested in Denver, Johannesburg, who was found with a very big bulk of compressed cables, including non-ferrous items. The task teams are gradually giving the desired result but the SAPS will intensify these operations since the damage to infrastructure and stealing of cables are happening mainly in Gauteng.

Gen. Masemola said that all provinces were given the directive to establish the Essential Infrastructure Task Teams. Nationally, the SAPS has identified 18 municipalities where it must establish these task teams, which will be made permanent units at the end of this year. These task teams will deal with the crimes related to critical infrastructure, illicit mining and extortion on a full-time basis. At some point, all provinces will provide feedback in this regard.

Closing Remarks

The Deputy National Commissioner said that the Ministry has recently approved the Integrated Crime and Violence Prevention Strategy, which is an approach that encompasses other spheres of government to be involved in the fight against crime, because the police will never resolve this matter alone. For as long as the spatial development is uneven in the country, these problems will persist. The SAPS are aware that it needs to strengthen the interface that it has with other departments.

The Chairperson said that this has been one of the best Committee meetings in ages. The Committee has certainly gained a better perspective of crime in the country. She thanked the Members and the guest delegates for attending the meeting.

The meeting was adjourned.