MBOMBELA- Premier, Mandla Ndlovu together with MEC for Community Safety, Security and Liaison, Jackie Macie met with the top management of the South African Police Service (SAPS) including Acting Provincial Commissioner, Major General Zeph Mkhwanazi on Thursday.
This was to discuss the state of crime prevention in the province and other matters related to policing.
Macie who was appointed as safety MEC on June 18 said measures were being taken to combat crime including the deployment of 1200 crime prevention wardens soon. “They will work hand in hand with the Community Policing Forums (CPF). We will also deal with the issue of compensation for CPF members.”
He added that if the province does not deal with crime reduction, tourism will be negatively impacted. “It is within the constitution that citizens have the right to safety. Therefore, it is important to ensure safety in communities at all times,” he said.
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The premier shared his sentiments stating that for Mpumalanga to attract investors into the province, crime needs to be tackled. “Investors should know they will be safe here as well as in other sectors like education. “The only time we will relax is when the girl child safely returns home from school. We should try by all means to silence the weeping of a girl child, the weeping of a mother and visitors coming from different parts of the world,” said Ndlovu.
VIDEO: Questions answered during the media briefing
