COSATU condemns City of Cape Town for neglecting crime
COSATU condemns the statements by JP Smith on the crime situation in Cape Town and calls for his dismissal for dereliction of duty and gross incompetence as demonstrated below:
- JP Smith first comments on the busker's assault were to try to justify the conduct of the cops;
- JP Smith is now trying to politicize the crime situation:
- JP Smith is trying to pass the buck on the deepening crime situation in Cape Town;
- During his time in office, JP Smith has overseen the highest number of deaths in Cape Town JP;
- JP Smith refuses to work with civil society to resolve crime:
- JP Smith focuses on inane laws, like governing dogs barking when there is a crisis in killing of people;
- JP Smith refuses to cooperate with other agencies and levels of Government to focus on killings;
- JP Smith imports foreign solutions to try and combat the situation, ignoring the local communities.
The crisis in the killings in the townships is a reflection of the inability of the DA to deal with the key social challenges facing communities. The killings and gang activities are reaching epidemic proportions and it is not even declared a crisis by the DA in the W Cape who, instead, tries to use it as a political football.
What is clear is that the killings are bigger than a policing issue and what we need is to get a clear programme in place. This programme must unite the society to deal with the social fragmentation issues as we work to isolate the gangs and their agenda.
Instead of bringing unity in the fight against gangs, JP Smith has antagonized all other political and social role players who must cooperate in dealing with gangs. His latest outburst is a further attempt to pass the back and hide his inability.
JP Smith should be fired from the position and a competent leader put in place to deal with the growing crisis. His attitude and inability to relate and cooperate with other agencies and civil society makes him unsuitable for going forward. Dan Plato should be ordered to stop doing drug sale deals with the gangsters and to focus on uniting the society against the crisis.
The Way Forward:
1. The National Government should intervene as a matter of urgency and lead towards a solution;
2. The gang situation and killings should be declared a crisis, with a National intervention sought by all.
3. The society as a whole should be brought together to develop a plan to deal with this crisis. This plan should include all sections of the society who must unite on the solution.
COSATU therefore calls for an urgent intervention from National Government.
Statement issued by Tony Ehrenreich, COSATU Western Cape Provincial Secretary, July 24 2013
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