Sir
Last week, in tabling his department’s 2017/18 Annual Performance Plan (APP) before the KZN Legislature, Community Safety MEC, Mxolisi Kaunda showed that he is not fully in control, with officials largely left to their own devices while he is out campaigning for the ANC.
This is evidenced by the fact that parts of the department’s strategic overview are a direct copy and paste from last year’s plan – not even the dates were changed. The report also includes references to the Local Government Election plan of 2016/17 and other issues long since resolved.
It also contains errors in terms of calculating SAPS annual targets from quarterly targets, despite this being a simple case of addition. To add insult to injury it does not include any crime-fighting strategy or suggest any form of plan to ensure that proper policing still takes place in the face of budget cuts.
Given the numerous errors within this report, one must wonder whether the MEC made any contribution whatsoever to the contents or whether he simply rubber-stamped it.
This is extremely concerning in a province where one citizen is murdered every two hours, where high levels of violent crime exist and where communities are living in fear.
The APP should be a document that helps to allay citizen’s concerns by demonstrating that government has a plan to fight crime.
Instead, it shows that the department has no credible crime fighting plan and instead tries to repeat past programmes while hoping for different results. SAPS target inaccuracies are further evidence of a lack of seriousness and focus when it comes to battling crime in KZN.
If the MEC cannot get the basics right, there will be a devastating effect on both service delivery and crime fighting.
In May 2016 the DA submitted the KZN Community Safety Bill to the Office of the Speaker.
This Bill seeks to ensure effective crime fighting and empower citizens’ involvement in monitoring police. To date it remains in her office, having been stymied by this biased ANC Speaker. The DA has written to MEC Kaunda, to request that he intervene so that this Bill can be tabled before the Legislature.
We have also insisted that he immediately withdraw the Annual Performance Plan (APP) delivered last week and formulate an actual implementable strategy.
Dr Rishigen Viranna, MPL
DA KZN Spokesperson on Community Safety and Liaison
