Crime remains one of the biggest concerns for South Africans, and with good reason. In too many communities, people have simply become used to living with violent crime, gang activity, extortion, drug dealing and theft as part of everyday life.
The DA does not accept that this is normal, and we do not believe South Africans should have to accept it either.
That is why the City of Cape Town has now formally declared an intergovernmental dispute with the Acting Minister of Police, Firoz Cachalia, over the continued refusal to give properly trained municipal police officers greater powers to investigate crime.
The Minister has still not responded.
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Cape Town has been raising this issue with national government for several years. The City has written repeatedly to successive Police Ministers, proposed legislative amendments, drafted regulations and entered into cooperation agreements with SAPS. The request has always been practical and collaborative. Where a capable municipal police service has the resources, training and systems to assist with criminal investigations, national legislation should allow it to do so in clearly defined circumstances.
Cape Town already spends billions of rands on public safety. It has thousands of enforcement officers, specialised units, camera networks, technology and growing data capabilities. City officers regularly identify suspects, gather information and make arrests. But under the current law, there is a point at which much of that work must simply be handed over to SAPS.
If capable municipal officers can lawfully take certain investigations further, build stronger cases and help secure more convictions, we believe they should be allowed to do so. The question should not be which sphere of government gets the credit. It should be whether criminals are being caught and communities are becoming safer.
This is part of the DA’s broader approach to crime: Catch. Convict. Clean Up.
We believe strongly in law and order, in supporting victims, and in making sure that government uses every available tool to restore safety.That is part of our commitment to building a South Africa that works for everyone.
In November, voters will elect local governments across South Africa. Where the DA is elected to govern, fighting crime and corruption will be the core priority.
Municipalities do not control SAPS, but that does not mean local governments are powerless. Good municipalities can invest in law enforcement, CCTV and technology. Where the DA governs we are already doing it. DA governments work with neighbourhood watches and businesses to fight crime. DA governments enforce by-laws, protect infrastructure and public facilities, and reclaim neglected public spaces that have been allowed to become centres of crime and disorder.
Where we govern, we must run clean, capable governments and use every lawful power available to protect residents. Our record shows that this can be done.
After November, we want to bring that approach to many more municipalities.
We will also continue fighting nationally for policing reform. Where municipal governments have demonstrated that they have the capacity to take on additional responsibilities, national government should be willing to consider devolving those powers with proper standards and oversight.
The DA believes decisions should be taken as close as reasonably possible to the people affected by them, particularly where local government can demonstrate that it can deliver better results.
This is why Cape Town’s dispute with Minister Cachalia matters beyond one city. It is a test of whether national government is genuinely interested in practical solutions, or whether it will continue protecting a centralised system even when that system is clearly struggling.
The DA will keep pushing for an answer. We will continue with the formal dispute process, and we will use every lawful avenue available to argue for a policing system that is more effective, accountable and responsive to communities.
If you believe South Africa needs governments that take crime seriously, then help us make that case over the next few months. Speak to your family, friends and colleagues. Encourage people who have stopped believing that anything can change to vote. And make sure you are at the polls in November.
The DA wants to govern more places because we want more South Africans to experience government that works.
And that includes a government that takes their safety seriously.
Geordin Hill-Lewis
DA Federal Leader
