Durban — As Premier Thami Ntuli ramps up his crime-fighting strategies, a prominent crime expert and author, Mary de Haas, has voiced strong criticism of the ongoing crime summits led by the provincial government.
De Haas claimed that the summits had produced little in the way of tangible results in combating the rampant crime plaguing the province.
She was reacting to the KZN Council Against Crime in Mayville led by Ntuli in Durban on Wednesday.
De Haas expressed her discontent with the summits, stating: “We have had one crime summit after another over the years, and nothing has changed. I don’t think they produce anything tangible in crime-fighting strategies.”
She emphasised the necessity for an oversight body to address the alleged rampant corruption within the South African Police Service (SAPS), which she argued undermined the integrity of the police.
“The SAPS is riddled with corruption, and it is impacting so negatively on good police members. We have got to get some form of judicial oversight to monitor police,” she said.
She added: “Until you deal with this, you are wasting your time talking about different strategies. It starts with serious problems in the police.”
De Haas, who is a known critic of the government’s crime-busting measures, said the government should fine-tune its crime-fighting strategies if it wanted to rid the province of crime.
During the KZN Council Against Crime meeting, Ntuli outlined his government’s plans to combat crime, saying that the forum aimed to coordinate provincial efforts against crime while fostering community involvement.
Shortly after he took over as KZN premier in June, Ntuli moved the Department of Community Safety and Liaison to his office.
“This is a fundamental change in the configuration of our provincial administration, which will enable us to focus on the work of community safety working together with the SAPS,” said Ntuli.
Among the council’s objectives outlined by Ntuli on Wednesday was to provide strategic advice, assist in safety and crime prevention strategy development, and monitor the efficacy of those strategies across the province.
He urged communities to unite against crime and ethical misconduct.
“The objective of the KZN Council Against Crime is to extend and deepen support to the SAPS under the leadership of Lieutenant-General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi. The police are working closely with community safety structures, the private security industry and all the broadest range of stakeholders united against crime,” said Ntuli.
Additionally, Ntuli said: “The fact is that criminals live and sleep in a community, a hostel, a home, or work in a business somewhere. Everywhere, someone knows that a crime is committed, but they choose to keep quiet.”
Ntuli’s stance comes on the heels of various initiatives, including earlier social crime prevention summits held in Durban’s Olive Convention Centre in August and a subsequent one held in Inanda, north of Durban, last month.
These meetings have drawn representatives from various sectors, including business, labour, faith-based organisations, and private security, all working towards a shared goal of crime reduction.
As Premier Ntuli drives his administration’s focus on community safety, he faces continued scrutiny from experts like De Haas, who question the viability of traditional crime-fighting forums in effecting meaningful change.
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