We can take back our streets from criminals, urges Cyril Ramaphosa

President Cyril Ramaphosa believes the prevalence of crime has worsened to such an extent that citizens find themselves discouraged to fight against it.

In his latest weekly newsletter‚ Ramaphosa put the spotlight on rising crime levels.

“Crime and violence have become so common in our country that many South Africans often despair of us stopping it‚” Ramaphosa said.

He pinned his hopes of tackling soaring crime levels on community partnerships and the police service’s Operation Shanela‚ an initiative launched in 2023 to enhance visible policing and apprehend wanted suspects‚ particularly those involved in serious offences such as murder and sexual crimes.

“Through roadblocks‚ stop and search operations‚ foot patrols and business compliance inspections‚ Operation Shanela’s teams have made progress in dealing with crime hotspots and organised crime syndicates.” He encouraged South Africans to engage with community police forums (CPFs) and other structures to reclaim their communities from criminal influences.

“If‚ as communities‚ we play an active role in supporting the police through CPFs and other structures we can take back our homes‚ our businesses‚ our communities and our streets from criminals‚” said Ramaphosa.

According to recent updates from police‚ Operation Shanela led to more than 700‚000 arrests for crimes including murder‚ cash-in-transit heists and sexual offences.

Addressing firearms control‚ Ramaphosa reported major crackdowns on illegal weapons.

“Over the past two years more than 20‚000 firearms have been seized‚ including homemade guns and rifles‚” he said.

The Western Cape‚ troubled by gang violence‚ saw more than 3‚000 firearms confiscated. Police have also targeted economic crimes‚ such as cash machine bombings‚ in partnership with the banking sector‚ resulting in several arrests in Gauteng and the Free State.

Ramaphosa also discussed the establishment of task teams by the sixth administration to tackle economic sabotage‚ including cable theft‚ vandalism of power installations‚ illicit mining and extortion in the construction industry.

“Crime‚ even if it has not affected us directly‚ is everybody’s problem. If we continue to work together as government‚ the business community‚ labour and civil society‚ we can restore the safety and security that is critical to economic activity and the creation of jobs.”

He highlighted the broader implications of crime‚ noting its threat to economic growth and development.

“The crimes are highly organised and run by syndicates. We have taken a multipronged strategy to combat them. Over the past five years‚ 722 construction mafia suspects have been arrested for extortion at construction sites. A total of 52 have been convicted and sentenced to terms ranging from seven months to 89 years' imprisonment‚” Ramaphosa said.

The president also addressed efforts to disrupt illicit mining activities‚ including collaboration with mining houses and the department of mineral resources and energy to seal abandoned mine shafts.

“Operations continue into the disruption of illicit mining activities.”

Reflecting on the evolving nature of crime‚ Ramaphosa cited the rise of new challenges such as illicit mining‚ construction site extortion‚ kidnappings for ransom and advanced drug manufacturing and smuggling operations.

“The successes of Operation Shanela have shown the benefits of multisectoral collaboration and the value of specialised task teams. If we continue the good work started through Operation Shanela‚ we can beat crime and build a safe and secure country.”

TimesLIVE