Lesufi’s crime fighting tactics not working as Gauteng remains a hub of serious crime

28 August 2024

Gauteng residents continue to be in danger of serious crimes despite Premier Panyaza Lesufi's pronounced crime-fighting tactics.

This follows the announcement by Hawks Head Godfrey Lebeya stating that Gauteng, the country’s most populous province, has retained its lead as the hub for serious crime in the first quarter of the 2024/2025 financial year.

This shows that Premier Lesufi's technology driven crime-fighting initiatives, such as the implementation of drones, helicopters, panic buttons, and CCTV cameras, are not achieving the desired impact in addressing crime in the province.

For far too long, the Democratic Alliance (DA) has been calling on the government to stop playing with people’s lives, making farfetched and impractical promises without getting the basics right. Gauteng residents deserve a government that will not talk about making crime an apex priority while lacking clear plans to tackle crime and ensure that Gauteng residents enjoy the basic human right of safety.

Instead of learning how the DA has addressed crime in areas under its governance, Premier Lesufi has taken a tough stance, insisting that his crime prevention measures effectively safeguard Gauteng residents. However, the report from the Hawks serves as evidence that we are not prevailing in the battle against crime.

The DA government would review the current crime prevention strategy to assess why is not bearing positive impact. We wouldn't focus on advanced technology that isn't effectively combating the rise of serious crimes in our province. But instead, rescue Gauteng from the grip of crime by getting the basics right. This includes cutting the red tape to fix our vehicles, filling the vacancies, and providing proper training and development for our police. We will also ensure that our police stations are adequately equipped with necessary resources such as vehicles , personnel and proper working environment to assist in crime prevention.

The DA would achieve this by creating a collaborative plan to engage with communities, civil society, and other stakeholders to develop a safer Gauteng, where hope replaces fear and opportunity supersedes insecurity.

Issued by Michael Sun, DA Gauteng Spokesperson for Community Safety, 28 August 2024