The recent crime statistics for South Africa released by the Minister of Police, Bheki Cele, easily dampened many South African’s moods after the data set the scene for the first few months of 2022.
The numbers showed a rise in crime from January to March this year. Cape Town Central saw a 54.2% increase in crime trends from last year, and the Western Cape saw a 10.4% increase overall.
Premiere Alan Winde for one has not kept mum about the policing situation in SA, and before the statistic’s release, took to voice his concerns about Cele’s leadership as News24 reports.
After a man was attacked by a mob in Parkwood, where he was beaten and burnt to death, Winde expressed that the lack of police members is a problem among many others.
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Today, Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis released a statement fuelled with discontent toward Cele following the crime statistics release.
“It is clear that the National Minister of Police, Bheki Cele, is not doing enough to improve policing and for the protection of residents in our city and country,” he said before challenging Cele’s calls for centralised policing.
“The City of Cape Town and the Western Cape Government have collectively made massive investments to deploy more than 1 100 additional local law enforcement officers under our LEAP programme to make up for the ongoing police resource shortages in our region. This investment has enabled law enforcement to triple its arrest rate in recent years,” he added.
Of Cele’s centralised policing ideas, Hill-Lewis affirmed that the opposite is what needs to happen, stating that local government focus allows for better service.
“To help make Cape Town safer, the City has passed a R5,4 billion Safety budget this financial year, with funding for 150 more officers this year alone, and R86 million for CCTV and new crime-fighting tech in 2022/2023,” he said of City efforts toward resources.
“Given his track record to date, we do not have confidence in Minister Cele to deliver this. He needs to go,” Hill-Lewis expressed.
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Picture: South African government
