Cape Town - Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis says he has engaged with the new police minister about the devolution of powers to the province.
Hill-Lewis said this in the council sitting yesterday morning as he outlined the priorities of the Government of National Unity (GNU).
Among the City’s top advocacy agenda items are the powers for municipal police to investigate crime; the devolution of passenger rail to the City; the release of national mega-properties for affordable housing; an increase in social housing subsidies; the stopping of grant cuts; and the cutting of red tape in order to unleash economic growth.
On policing, Hill-Lewis said the City was particularly calling for the devolution of criminal investigative powers so that officers could help build prosecution-ready case dockets, and gain convictions particularly for gang, gun, drug and extortion-related crimes.
“Our only purpose is to try and help win the war on crime. We need to pull resources, we need to have some of that additional enforcement powers for our officers so that we can do more.”
Hill-Lewis said he got a nearimmediate response from Police Minister Senzo Mchunu and they met on Wednesday night.
“I told him that I have not had a meeting like that with a national government, certainly not with the police minister. The meeting was positive and productive. He said he felt positive about the legislative amendment. I’m very hopeful about that.”
Mchunu confirmed that he had had a meeting with the provincial and City about fighting the scourge of crime in Cape Town.
Asked about the devolution of powers, Mchunu replied: “The main focus is dealing with murder, kidnapping, extortion, rape, hijackings and housebreaking. We will continue to engage with the City of Cape Town and the Western Cape government.”
Hill-Lewis also said he spoke to Mchunu about the urgency of the extortion and construction mafia in Cape Town. “I really believe that this needs a Cabinet-level intervention and national task force to work on construction mafia and extortion gangs.”
Public Works and Infrastructure Minister Dean Macpherson said he would meet with the mayor over the construction mafia.
“I have had informal discussions with him. I am planning to meet him. We have issues of mutual interest that we would like to talk about, properties, land and court cases.
“We will also include the construction mafia and I would like to commend him about the stance he took against the mafia, offering rewards, empowering law enforcement to go after them, and that is the kind of stance I want to see across the country,” he said.
Cape Argus