Communities in Mthatha, Eastern Cape, have welcomed government's crime prevention outreach programme, saying it provides much-needed intervention in an area where crime levels have reached alarming proportions.
The Justice, Crime Prevention and Security (JCPS) Cluster hosted the outreach on Thursday, bringing increased police visibility and government services to the area.
Locals reported that the presence of law enforcement allowed them to move about more freely.
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According to the residents who spoke to SAnews, crime, including armed robberies, house break-ins, extortion and gender-based violence, has left many people living in fear.
Lungiswa Ngqoye said she was happy that government is doing something with crime in the area.
"Once it gets dark, we live in fear. Criminals prey on us, [and] sometimes even rob people in their homes," Ngqoye told SAnews.
Echoing same sentiments, Lloyd Masikwa stressed the need for community policing forums in their areas to complement police efforts.
"As a community, we need to actively get involved in the fight against crime," Masikwa said.
Addressing the community, Justice and Constitutional Development Minister Mmamoloko Kubayi said the JCPS Cluster took a decision to visit Mthatha to better understand the situation and engage directly with residents.
Kubayi expressed concern about the high rate of Gender-Based Violence and Femicide (GBVF) incidences in Mthatha.
"We decided to work together as a cluster to address these problems here. We felt we needed to speak to people and concertise them about what they need to know, what they should do, and where to go for assistance," Kubayi said.
Kubayi also encouraged the locals to raise their concerns so that they can be assisted.
"We want to do better, and we will continue to conduct these visits to hear from the people," the Minister said.
Eastern Cape MEC for Community Safety Xolile Nqatha appealed to Police Minister to avail a helicopter to enable them to monitor crime in the province. He noted that some businesses had shut down due to extortion.
"We thank the JCPS cluster for coming here. We are experiencing high levels of crime, but we will continue to arrest these criminals," he said.
The MEC also encouraged residents to report crimes in their communities, even anonymously.
Also speaking was the Acting Police Minister Firoz Cachalia who said they are aware of the problems in Mthatha saying they are working on strengthening police services.
Acting Police Minister Firoz Cachalia said government was working to strengthen policing in Mthatha and across the Eastern Cape. He highlighted GBVF as a major challenge nationwide and stressed the need for technology to monitor parolees effectively.
"It is government's responsibility to address these problems, but communities must also be involved in the fight against crime," Cachalia said.
The day's programme started with visits to Mthatha Police Station, Mthatha Magistrate's Court and the Thuthuzela Care Centre at Mthatha Hospital, where Kubayi and her delegation assessed operations and engaged with officials.
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Last week the Justice Minister visited the Magistrate courts in Tembisa, New Brighton, Palm Ridge, Kempton Park and Randburg and Polokwane High Court.
According to the Department of Justice and Constitutional Development, the visits identified several court-specific challenges and positives that impact on service delivery and the efficient functioning of courts.
During visits, positive observations were made which includes the services offered by the small claims courts which often sits after hours.
The outreach forms part of the JCPS Cluster's ongoing efforts to address community safety concerns, strengthen justice services and tackle crime through collaboration with residents, civil society, and local leaders.
