The DA recently conducted an oversight inspection at the Ikageng police station, after the township was listed among the top-30 gender-based violence (GBV) hotspots. The Minister of Police, Bheki Cele, placed the township in the twentieth position last month.
In engaging with the relevant police officials, the DA delegation decided to put in more effort to provide additional resources and assist the police in combating crime and securing the safety of Ikageng and Promosa. These communities also fall victim to other crimes like murder, common assault, robbery and more.
According to Glenville Fransman, a DA councillor in Promosa, they learnt that the police consider GBV a priority issue. A multi-disciplinary approach is needed to address it effectively, however.
He says the lack of support from other spheres of government, the local municipality.in particular, hampers the police’s response in fighting GBV.
“The demarcation and establishment of roads within the fast-growing informal areas within Ikageng and Promosa make it difficult to access areas where police assistance is required. The poor street lighting infrastructure creates an environment where criminals can execute their crimes under cover of darkness,” said Fransman.
He added that some roads, stands and addresses have not yet been formalised, impacting the cases negatively. “The magistrates’ court cannot accept a GPS pin in place of an address and this sometimes leads to cases being thrown out,” he stated.
He appeals to the local government and the respective departments to offer more support.
Following the oversight inspection, the delegation was convinced that Ikageng police management was committed to preventing crime and carrying out thorough investigations. The visitors were informed that the station was located on a temporary site and struggled with inadequate resources. “We heard that land has already been identified to build a more functional and permanent police station. This will go a long way in improving the working conditions of police officers and offering a safe space for victims of crime.”
Fransman adds that additional police officers and detectives and more vehicles are needed for police to fight crime effectively.
“We were assured that a coordinated outreach programme inclusive of all stakeholders would soon be implemented as part of the Ikageng SAPS’s strategy to fight GBV.”
The DA delegation consisted of the two councillors, Fransman and Bea Campbell-Cloete, a representative of the Democratic Alliance Women’s Network (Dawn) and Gavin Edwards, a North West member of the Provincial Legislature (MPL). The local community policing forum (CPF) was also present.
The DA plans to write to the relevant departments about their concerns.
William Maphosa, the municipal spokesperson, says the municipality follows a predetermined process when allocating stands and proclaiming zones. He added that it was impossible to assign addresses in an area before specific processes were complete.
“It should be noted that many informal settlements have not yet been legally proclaimed as establishments. Many more people have illegally occupied areas that are not suitable for settlement, like dolomitic areas,” said Maphosa.
He added that the municipality is willing to engage and work with residents in any service delivery efforts, that are within the legal framework.
“The DA and any other organisation can engage the municipality within the existing forums like the IDP representative forum and mayoral izimbizo. Besides, the DA has the added advantage of engaging the municipality through council processes,” he concluded.