Community Safety, Security and Liaison MEC Petrus Ngomane has commended the provincial SAPS under the leadership of Lieutenant General Mondli Zuma for the recent successes during Operation Thunderstorm.

The operation, a programme of SAPS conducted by different police units and other stakeholders from the Justice, Crime Prevention and Security Cluster including the department arrested 238 people for different violations between 18 and 22 August 2016.

MEC Ngomane said that these successes are an indication that the fight against crime will eventually be won.

“If we move in this direction we are moving, with this same pace, we will surely reduce crime in our province. We need to stop working in isolation as security agencies; our combined resources can make a huge impact in the society.

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“We must also persuade community’s involvement in the fight against crime if we want to succeed. Communities play an important role, that is why we need to make them our key stakeholders as we move forward,” the MEC said.

He added that he is pleased to have joined such a team that he saw for some time working hard under the leadership of the MEC Vusi Shongwe and the Provincial Commissioner together with the former SAPS Provincial Commissioners.

“I am glad that I am coming to work in an environment where there is already a strong laid foundation. We are going to work, there is no time for talk shops in offices and long meetings, our work is outside where the communities are. We need to maintain the goals, objectives and the vision of the department which is to ensure that communities are and feel safe,” he added.

MEC Ngomane has further added that with increased convictions on the arrests made last week, the police would be motivated to work even harder to ensure that more and more crime suspects are brought to book.

He explained once crime suspects are put behind bars, communities will also become mobilised to work with government to combat crime.

Yesterday [23 August 2016], the MEC met with SAPS executive and he has pleaded support from them saying he can only do well as an MEC with the support of the police. The MEC was briefed on various units and their work, successes and challenges so far with regard to crime prevention.