The speech below was delivered in Parliament today by the DA Shadow Minister of Police, Zakhele Mbhele MP.
The DA’s vision for South Africa is for a country where every person enjoys freedom, fairness and opportunity; of one, prosperous nation with one future, united in our diversity. While progress has been made in some respects, we still fall far short of our potential and in particular, this ANC government and the ones before it have not been responsive to the needs of our people when it comes to ensuring peace and stability or safety and security.
But how can it when the SAPS has been politicised and chronically mismanaged, thanks to ANC cadre deployment and its twin sibling of cronyism? How can the SAPS be responsive to the policing needs and priorities of communities when stations are under-staffed, under-resourced, under-equipped and under-trained?
Violent and organised crime has been increasing year-on-year since 2012, shattering the possibility for us to enjoy peace of mind in our homes and on our streets. Our Crime Intelligence has been mired in crisis, and our Detective Service in severe distress, rendering them largely ineffective to combat the robberies and hijackings that threaten our personal safety.
Similarly, violent unrest, land invasions and other disruptions of public peace have also been increasing, resulting in a threadbare sense of public safety, while our Public Order Policing units were allowed to wither away to less than half the required capacity.
This tragic state of affairs is merely the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the bad news of an ineffective and inefficient SAPS that is not meeting the needs of our people, thanks to ANC misgovernance. This is not to negate or discount the everyday work of the diligent and dedicated police officers who do their best under difficult conditions. It is, in fact, thanks to their labours, above and beyond the call of duty, and despite being left in the lurch, that the implosion of the SAPS has been kept at bay.
But if that is the bad news, brought to us by the ANC, then in contrast, the DA is here as a bearer of good news because we have a remedial reform plan to fix the SAPS and make it a police service that meets the needs of our people for peace and stability, for safety and security.
Under a DA-led national government, we would implement a radical localisation of policing resources and operational management, in line with international best practice.
We would also professionalize the police service through merit-based appointment and promotion, adequate training and strong accountability enforcement. Thirdly, we would drive optimal specialization and innovation through dedicated units, enabled by expertise and state-of-the-art technology.
The final good news is that, although crime feels endemic and out-of-control, crime can be beaten through effective policing. However, it requires the political will to get the basics right and fix the fundamentals, which the ANC has proven itself incapable of doing. The only chance for reduced crime through effective and responsive policing for the benefit for all South Africans will be through a national government led by the Democratic Alliance.