The South African Police Service (SAPS) is being strengthened to prevent crime, says Minister in the Presidency Mondli Gungubele.
Gungubele conveyed the message while briefing the media on the outcomes of the regular Cabinet meeting held on Wednesday.
This, he said, includes putting more police on the streets and setting up specialised teams that will focus on specific types of crime.
“South Africa will also use data driven methods in a more sophisticated way to identify and target crime hotspots,“ he said.
The Minister said SAPS was intensifying operations to detect and remove illegal firearms and ammunition from the hands of criminals.
The police have in the past 12 months permanently removed 65 519 firearms from circulation.
The Cabinet position was made in the wake of the murder of hip-hop artist Kiernan Forbes, popularly known as AKA, and celebrity chef Tebello Motsoane, in Durban, last week.
At the meeting, Cabinet expressed its condolences to the family and friends of both men.
He said: “Cabinet also expressed its sympathies to the family and friends of anti-crime activist, Mr Ayob Mungalee, who was recently shot dead at Eldorado Park in Johannesburg.”
He was the national director of the People Seeking Justice Action Group, a movement which mobilised community members to take a stand against gangsterism and drug dealing.
Cabinet also expressed condolences to the families and friends of those killed in recent mass shootings in the Western Cape, KwaZulu-Natal and the Eastern Cape.
“These heinous and cold-blooded attacks, which are being investigated by law-enforcement authorities, highlight the prevalence of gun violence and its impact on communities,” he said.
Meanwhile, Cabinet said school safety in South Africa remains a top priority for government and reports of violence between learners and educators are a serious cause for concern.
“While the Department of Basic Education has put mechanisms in place to combat this scourge, it is the responsibility of parents and guardians to collaborate with school authorities and learners to ensure that schools remain safe places for our learners to develop and become responsible citizens. The safety of our educators at schools is also of paramount importance,” said Gungubele.
Government calls on all citizens and community structures to work together with their local SAPS to drive crime out of communities. If you have information that can help expose people involved in illegal activities, call Crime Stop at 0800 10111.