STATEMENT BY THE CITY’S MAYORAL COMMITTEE MEMBER FOR SAFETY AND SECURITY, ALDERMAN JP SMITH

I mourn with the family of the City employee who was murdered on duty this week.

Tragically, an official of the City was shot and killed this week at the site of a previously targeted housing development, amid a growing trend of intimidation and violence directed at City housing projects.

The increasing incidents whereby extortion syndicates threaten the construction industry, has been widely publicised. The immediate threat of violence and intimidation to site workers, employees and management of various construction sites across our city cannot be ignored.

The City is offering a reward of R100 000 for information leading to the successful prosecution of those responsible for her murder.

We are undertaking a full investigation through the Safety and Security Investigations Unit into this matter and will seek the co-operation of all related enforcement agencies.

This is cold comfort to the family, and while this will not return their loved one, I hope it will help bring her killer or killers to book.

The City is currently making significant investments in crime-fighting technology and we are able to support SAPS with cutting-edge solutions that would greatly increase policing effectiveness in the fight against crime. We will further drive the capacitation of our Investigative and Information Management components to support these strategies.

Data-led decision-making is increasingly guiding the City’s daily crime prevention operations. We can do even more to fight crime were SAPS to share the live crime information on a weekly or daily basis rather than outdated, historic statistics. With real-time information about what crime is happening and where, the City enforcement resources would be able to be much more responsive and target its policing resources to the right places at the right time.

The quarterly crime stats, which is currently provided months after they take place, represent more of a history lesson highlighting the shortcomings of policing, rather than a crime intelligence toolset which may be used to direct and focus policing efforts.

The crime stats released this past Friday paints a dismal picture.

There has been a general increase in violent crime and murder in the latest Quarterly Crime Stats for October to December 2022, with a 13,4% overall increase in the Western Cape.

We want to help, we are able to help, but we cannot just forge ahead on our own, without the necessary information and intelligence.

As we grieve our colleague, we lament the delay in establishing the inter-governmental Kidnapping and Extortion Task Team or Unit which we have called for and as previously agreed upon, to tackle the increased instances of extortion and kidnappings for ransom occurring across the city. Its establishment is being delayed by hesitation on the side of SAPS in accepting the mandates and authority of the City to contribute in combatting these crimes.

Rather than constantly trying to challenge our legal rights and delaying the cooperation, we request the National Minister and National Commissioner to honour their commitment and immediately establish the Kidnapping and Extortion Unit in Cape Town, before any further loss of life occurs.

The City again extends its offer of assistance to the South African Police Service in tackling the scourge of kidnapping and extortion.

SAPS has to come to the table if we are to stop this violent onslaught on our communities.

Anonymous tip-offs welcomed

Call: 0800 1100 77

The City will pay a reward where its policing resources achieve an operational result that directly relates to information received, such as an arrest, confiscation of contraband or illegal firearms, recovery of stolen goods, the rescue of a kidnapped victim, etc.

The system is NOT open to people under the age of 18 or City of Cape Town employees.

Source: City Of Cape Town