24 000 officers geared to keep KZN safe

Issued by the Department of Human Settlements and Public Works:

EARNEST appeals to be safe on our roads were made by KwaZulu-Natal MEC for Human Settlements and Public Works, Ravi Pillay, on visits to KZN taxi ranks, as part of government’s Festive Season Safety Campaign.

“All arms of government are working in unison with all sectors of society to promote safety on our roads and in our communities,” said Pillay.

Government is intensifying its ‘Operation Valingozi’ and ‘Sekwanele’ campaigns to tackle both road carnage and crime.

KwaZulu-Natal is the second most populous province, after Gauteng, with 10.9 million citizens who make up 19.9% of the country’s total population. It also attracts the second highest number of visitors, especially during the festive season.

Other interesting statistics are that KwaZulu-Natal:

• Has the third highest number of registered vehicles at approximately 1, 5 million growing annually at around 25 percent;

• Has a number of international (Lesotho, Swaziland and Mozambique) and national borders (Free State, Mpumalanga and Eastern Cape), perhaps more than any other province;

• Has the country’s busiest ports, namely Durban and Richards Bay, handling massive freight and logistics truck traffic. These trucks pass through major national and provincial routes, particularly the N2 and N3, to and from the harbours.

“A decline in road fatalities and crime incidents in KwaZulu-Natal will have a huge impact on the overall national statistics,” added Pillay.

The province has detailed an intensive Festive Season Safety Plan:

This plan encompasses inputs from all institutions charged with law enforcement, emergency medical services and tourism related matters.

It looks to ensure that the people of KwaZulu-Natal and visitors to the province are safe on the roads, homes, shopping malls, tourist destinations and wherever they are in the province.

Government has allocated major resources, both human and financial, for the successful implementation of the plan. The Provincial Operational Plan, which has already swung into action, will be in place until 31 January 2017.

There is special concern about car hijackings. Government has engaged police management to clamp-down on syndicates and urged people to be vigilant of risks.

Equally concerning is the proliferation of illegal firearms in KwaZulu-Natal which are key drivers of robbery and other related crimes.

In the past few weeks 200 rounds of ammunition and more than 10 illegal high calibre fire-arms have been seized by police. These include AK 47s, 9mms and dangerous explosives. From January to March this year, police recovered 1265 illegal fire-arms and 13683 rounds of ammunition.

The festive season safety campaign is anchored on the following pillars:

• Integration of all law enforcement agencies;

• Partnership with key stakeholders – SANTACO, the bus industry, freight and logistics and religious bodies;

• Traffic police visibility and 24/7 visibility in hot spot areas;

• Interaction with road users, including drivers and passengers; and

• A heightened media and road safety education campaign.

• Mobilisation of all sectors of our community to work for peace, stability and a crime-free festive season.

Pillay has urged road users to be patient and tolerant on the road and to adhere to road traffic rules and signs.

“Integrated roadblocks are in operation throughout the province working jointly with neighbouring provinces such as the Eastern Cape, Free State and Mpumalanga.”

As part of the plan KwaZulu-Natal Community Safety and Liaison has deployed over 24000 personnel comprising:

· 17,766 SAPS members;

· 1,694 eThekwini Metro Police officers;

· 763 RTI officers;

· 83 DOT Special Operations (Shanela) officers;

· 8 Cross Border officers;

· 1,912 EMS officers;

· 118 Home Affairs officers;

· 10 Customs officials (SARS);

· 1,337 Crime Prevention Volunteers;

· 87 Department of Community Safety and Liaison officials; and

· 527 SANDF members.

“Let us all work for a safe and peaceful festive season,” was the message Pillay repeated throughout his interaction with the community of the Harry Gwala Municipality.