MBOMBELA – “We are sick and tired of looking at bodies burnt beyond recognition. We are going to hit hard and make arrests.” Mr Vusi Shongwe recently took his oath to serve another term as MEC for safety, security and liaison.
He told Lowvelder last week that his department, which was tasked with bringing down the crime rate and road carnage, faced a number of challenges.
“Without any apology I say that most problems originate in taverns. This is the main cause of people driving drunk and it is where criminals often plan their crimes.”
Taverns could expect more surprise raids over this term than before, Shongwe warned, as could the illegal businessmen in Andersen Street.
He said the department would win the fight against the drug dealers operating in the area. This he intended to do not only through partnering with stakeholders, but also the community.
“The long-term solution to crime is to involve the community. We need to make them aware that criminals are not aliens, they don’t fall from the sky. They are part of our communities. We need to work together, hand in hand. Combating crime is the responsibility of all of us, not only that of the police.
“Parents must not allow their children who are not working to bring items into the house. Where do they think they got them? What if they killed someone to get them? I like to say, when you watch television on a stolen set, the sport and news you watch are also stolen,” Shongwe laughed.
He unreservedly condemned farm killings and said the police were doing everything in their power to combat crime in Hazyview, but the department encouraged privately owned lodges and businesses to use reputable security companies and cooperate with the police.
Shongwe added that despite the department’s best awareness efforts and educational programmes, motorists continued to ignore the rules of the road. However, he was not worried about the condition of the province’s roads and said they were not the main contributors to fatal accidents.
He cited another accident on the notorious Moloto Road last Sunday night and said an eyewitness had called him to say the drivers involved had been drinking.
Although the state of roads was the responsibility of the Department of Public Works, Roads and Transport (DPWRT), Shongwe conceded that a poor road should be a worry for his department if it endangered lives and that they worked with other departments to address the issues.
“Our roads are getting the necessary attention and most are much improved. The DPWRT hasn’t got round to all of them, but most are now in a better condition than before.”
Even the scenes of the three accidents on the R40 and KaNyamazane Road which claimed 17 lives at the last count over the past two weeks and saw people burnt beyond recognition, was not an issue of the road itself.
“Owners must ensure their vehicles are roadworthy and drivers must take responsibility.”
The department has seen successes with an increased traffic-officer presence on roads during festive and holiday periods which has seen a recent decrease in fatalities on Mpumalanga Roads.
“We want to introduce a third shift for traffic officers since most accidents occur over weekends and at night.”
This would cost more money. In November the department was allocated an adjustment of R262 million to bring its total budget for the just-ended financial year to R1,1 billion.
“Our budget did not take care of the situation on the ground. With every big event all the municipalities expect safety services and escorts. It is not cheap. Traffic officers must also be paid for the overtime they work, their vehicles must be serviced and petrol bought. It needs to be properly planned for. We can’t live without the traffic police.”
Shongwe said the department has made presentations to have a larger budget allocation this year, but whether they get it or not will not result in a compromise on any programmes.”Overall Fridays” will continue.
This basket of activities has roadblocks carried out to inspect and search vehicles and other stakeholders, like taxi associations, community policing forums and even SAB which has workshops to create awareness on the dangers of alcohol abuse.
Their Arrive Alive campaign also employs about 538 youths at present and they have junior training traffic centres to train children in using the road. School safety, however, remains a problem, with drivers not having respect for their pupils’ safety and scholar patrols.
“We must all stand up against crime together,” Shongwe said.
