A heightened focus on the use of modern technology to help with crime prevention efforts will continue to be a key priority of the seventh administration.

‘A data-driven approach will be used to identify violent crime hotspots and inform the allocation of policing resources alongside prevention measures,’ President Cyril Ramaphosa said at the Opening of Parliament Address (OPA) on Thursday.

The President was outlining apex focus areas for the next five years, which will be driven by the Government of National Unity (GNU). After the National and Provincial Elections in May produced no outright majority winner, various political leaders were tasked to work together to form a Government of National Unity, comprised of 10 political parties.

In his address tonight, President Ramaphosa said the country must have capable, sophisticated and independent law enforcement agencies that can fight complex and organised crime.

He committed that the Government of National Unity will continue to tackle priority crimes, in
cluding illegal mining, gang violence, cash-in-transit heists and the construction mafia, through specialised police units.

‘We will continue to implement the National Strategic Plan (NSP) on Gender-Based Violence and Femicide (GBVF), and expand victim support services, like the Thuthuzela Centres and GBV desks in police stations,’ President Ramaphosa said.

Land reform

Switching focus to the land reform programme, the President announced that government will increase the funding thereof, prioritise the transfer of State land and improve post-settlement support by strengthening the institutional capacity of the structures relevant to the programme.

‘To achieve rapid, inclusive growth, we need to fix our struggling municipalities. Growth happens at a local level, where people live and work.

‘Our municipalities must become both the providers of social services and facilitators of inclusive economic growth. They must work to attract investment,’ President Ramaphosa said.

Meanwhile, the President expressed w
ords of comfort to families affected by floods in the Western Cape and veld fires in KwaZulu-Natal.

Thousands of people across the Western Cape were left destitute after storms damaged their homes, including businesses and infrastructure in the province.

‘In recent days, we have witnessed runaway fires in KwaZulu-Natal, in which 14 people, including six firefighters, lost their lives. The fires also caused the destruction of homes, livestock and grazing land.

‘The thoughts of all South Africans are with all those people who have been subjected to these terrible weather conditions as they work to recover and rebuild,’ President Ramaphosa said.

Source: South African Government News Agency