(Archive photo)
The DA makes an urgent appeal to Pres. Cyril Ramaphosa and parliament to approve the party’s proposed amendment bill to the South African Police Service Act and immediately carry out lifestyle audits on senior members of the police.
This follows after the latest national crime statistics once again exposed the extent of South Africa’s violent crime crisis.
According to Geordin Hill-Lewis, the DA leader, after eight years under Ramaphosa, the ANC government has still not succeeded in bringing the country’s violent crime under control.
“The latest crime statistics show that 5,181 people were murdered in just three months. This means an average of 58 murders every day. In addition, 9,782 rapes were reported. After eight years of promises, South Africa is still not safe.”
‘Criminals act with more confidence’
Hill-Lewis says the latest figures show that the situation is even worse than in 2018.
Geordin Hill-Lewis, federal leader of the DA. (Photo: DA/X)
“If we compare the current figures with the same quarter in 2018, we see that South Africa now has more murders, while organized and violent crime is becoming stronger through hijackings, kidnappings, extortion and commercial crime.”
He believes that crime can no longer be treated as just another issue on the government’s agenda.
“Crime should be at the very top of the national agenda. No country can grow, no economy can create jobs and no community can flourish while criminals act with more confidence than law-abiding citizens.”
According to Hill-Lewis, a government that cannot protect its people has failed in its most basic responsibility.
“This is the clearest difference between the ANC and the DA. The ANC has normalized violent crime as a fact of life. The DA will never accept that.”
DA undertakes firmer action against crime
Hill-Lewis says a DA-led national government will make crime-fighting the core of its government task.
“Where the DA governs, we focus relentlessly on competent administration, accountability and results. South Africa needs the same approach at the national level when it comes to policing.”
(Archive photo)
He says the party wants to professionalize policing, fix detective services, restore visible policing and ensure that criminals are arrested, prosecuted and sent to prison.
“Under my leadership, the DA will arrest criminals, ensure that perpetrators are found guilty and reform the criminal justice system, because South Africans deserve to live without fear.”
The DA is now asking for two urgent interventions.
“Parliament must accept the DA’s amendment bill to the South African Police Service Act so that competent provincial and local governments can play a greater role in fighting crime where national policing is failing according to the party.”
The second demand is that the national government should immediately institute lifestyle audits on senior police leadership and officers in high-risk units.
“Lifestyle audits are essential to expose and remove from the system corrupt police officers who protect criminals instead of the public.”
Hill-Lewis believes that South Africans need a government that will take back control of communities and restore the rule of law.
“South Africans need a government that lets criminals know there are consequences for crime.”