JP Smith responds to 'The Truth About Cape Town's Well-Run Image'
JP Smith addresses Michael Andisile Mayalo's opinion piece, offering a comprehensive view of Cape Town's safety challenges and the city's proactive measures to combat crime.
Image: File Picture
In response to the opinion piece by Michael Andisile Mayalo titled 'The Truth About Cape Town's Well-Run Image: A Cape Flats Perspective'.
The sentiments expressed by Mr Mayalo portray a dim and singular view of a complex issue that the City of Cape Town's Safety and Security directorate has been tackling for nearly two decades.
Central to the confusion often exhibited by the communities, and evident in this opinion piece, is the control over the South African Police Services (SAPS) and governmental mandates that stipulate who has the authority to exercise control in this regard.
The Constitution clearly outlines the roles and responsibilities of various spheres of government. The City's constitutional mandate includes traffic and by-law enforcement. National government is constitutionally responsible for crime prevention, investigation, and intelligence gathering and exclusively controls SAPS.
The Provincial Government has only an oversight role over SAPS and no actual control.The City's Safety and Security directorate boasts an array of departments and initiatives which were strategically founded to address the shortfall by SAPS to effectively police the gang hotspots across Cape Town.
Improving the lives of residents of the so-called Cape Flats has always been a priority for this directorate with the bulk of our resources being deployed daily to communities such as Manenberg, Lavender Hill, Hanover Park and various others. In addition to the additional boots on the ground, we take a strategic approach to proactive policing the City has successfully amalgamated the use of gunshot detection technology and other aids such as drones and CCTV cameras for intelligence driven deployment not just reactive policing after shootings flare up.
The main misconception about ShotSpotter is that it will end gun violence. ShotSpotter is the alarm not the sprinkler. It provides one single version of the truth about the high levels of gun violence affecting our communities and this provides authorities, including SAPS, with objective data. Mr Mayalo's claim that the directorate controls 21 safety units and specialised crime intelligence is blatantly untrue or he is misinformed.
I have oversight over the following departments:
• Emergency Services (PECC/107)
• Disaster Risk Management
• Traffic Services
• Fire and Rescue Services
• Law Enforcement Services
• Metro Police Department
• Events and Film
• Safety and Security Investigations Unit (SSIU) and the Safety and Security Information Management Systems (SSIMS).
• Neighbourhood Watch Support Teams.
In addition, The City does obtain and share crime intelligence from and with SAPS. We have our own in-house information management unit that assists both the City and SAPS with crime data to aid their investigations as our municipal mandate does not extend to the formal investigation into organised crime.
For the period between January 2021 and January 2025, the City's enforcement agencies have removed 1670 firearms from the streets of Cape Town. This includes prohibited firearms, zip guns and replica firearms.In recent years I have continually called for the devolution of the police service in the Western Cape and even across South Africa.
The national Police Minister has the authority to devolve policing powers to competent local or provincial governments The City of Cape Town has proven that even with limited resources, the restrictions of municipal budgets and limited policing powers, we have made a significant impact in reducing crime but we are ready to do more.
Alderman JP Smith, Mayoral Committee Member for Safety and Security
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