Communication Among
Stakeholders Critical in the Fight
Against Crime – MEC Sibongile Manana
Media Release
22 July 2009
Mpumalanga Community Safety, Security
and Liaison MEC, Ms Sibongile Manana
says communication is vital in
sustaining partnerships against crime.
Manana was speaking yesterday (Tuesday)
at meetings held with Ermelo Police
Station management and the Msukaligwa
business community.
The meetings came as a result of some
challenges raised by the community and
business people in relation to Ermelo
Police station management and crime in
the area.
They felt that the station was not doing
enough to problems such as gangsterism,
drug peddling and business robbery, and
also complained that the police were not
visible in Ermelo.
Earlier, the business community had
called for the entire station management
to be restructured and appropriate steps
to be taken against police officers who
are not doing their jobs properly.
They have also called for allocation of
adequate resources to the community
service centre at the Ermelo Police
Station.
The Msukaligwa business community also
alleged that the station was not
responding timeously to crime scenes and
when calls are made to the station
through the 10111 crime reporting
hotline.
The meeting was also told that sometimes
when people report crime, they are told
that the station is not having vehicles
to attend to them immediately.
Allegations were also leveled against
the station commissioner, Senior
Superintended Zachariah Nyathi that he
is always not available to address their
problems and that he does not have the
support of his subordinates.
Accompanied by Ms Dumisile Nhlengethwa,
a Member of Parliament and Mr Isaiah
Khoza, the HOD for the department,
Manana said communication was critical
as it would also ensure that
partnerships with stakeholders against
crime will assist towards the
eradication of crime in the province
“The management of SAPS in the province
must clearly communicate its decisions
and programmes to members and the public
so that there could be no confusion,”
said Manana.
She called on the Ermelo station
management to strengthen its links with
the communities it serves and other
stakeholders such as the private
security industry.
She said the security industry should
not be seen as competing with SAPS, but
as a vital partner in assisting the
government to achieve its target in
relation to the reduction of crime.
Manana appealed to SAPS to provide
regular feedback to communities on their
policing needs.
She said that programmes such as sector
policing must be well communicated to
members of the community in order to be
effective.
She further called on the station
management and the local community
policing forum (CPF) to focus on its
work, which is rendering services to the
community and stop bickering among
themselves as this would compromise
service delivery.
“Police and the CPF must do their job
properly because the police can only be
trusted by the community if they are
organized”, said Manana.
Manana noted the concerns raised by the
business sector and immediately
requested Nyathi to set up a meeting
with them and other stakeholders in the
area.
As part of the department’s programme to
assist in policing in the province, the
department seconded Mr. Mzamani Vuma,
the Senior Manager on Monitoring,
Evaluation and Research to sit in
meetings organized between the police,
the CPF and the business people, with
other stakeholders to mediate and assist
them in resolving their differences.
Issued by Mpumalanga Department of Community Safety, Security and Liaison
Enquiries: Joseph Mabuza
013 766 4055
082 678 1450
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