Assessing the DA's push for policing devolution in South Africa

IOL News

18 hours ago

The DA said they want the government to devolve some police powers to the provinces and cities
Image: Supplied / SAPS
The call to devolve some police powers to the provinces and metro councils, has been a drum beaten by the Democratic Alliance (DA) for some time. But will it make a difference or is just about the DA thinking that they can do it better than the ANC?
The DA runs the Western Cape province as well as the City of Cape Town and has within the Government of National Unity, the chairmanship of the police portfolio committee in parliament. The province and city is racked by gang violence, and there is frustration that the national police can't seem to get a handle on it.
Michael Jacobs of the Mitchell's Plain United Residents Association (MURA) said that every day in a suburb on the Cape Flats, a life is lost through gang and gun violence.
'These violent incidents sketch a picture of abnormality, fear, and the sheer brutality faced by ordinary residents on the streets.
"We need to acknowledge that all levels of government - national, provincial, and municipal - have failed our bullet-ridden and gang-infested communities on the Cape Flats, Atlantis, Paarl, and elsewhere where gangsterism thrives.
'No amount of political theatrics and political spin will take away the fear, blood on our streets, death and open coffins on the Cape Flats of Fear,' Jacobs said.
The Cty wants the ability investigate gang-related violence, firearm offences, extortion, and drug trafficking. It wants to have the power to collect its own crime intelligence; its own forensic laboratory testing centres to test firearms; participation in the Cooperation Agreement task team, between Province and police and endorse the establishment of a joint technical workstream comprising representatives from various stakeholders.
Mzwakhe Nqavashe, chairperson of the Safety and Security Portfolio Committee within the City Council said communities are plagued by crime at all levels and it is clear that more is needed – from the South African Police Service and the City. SAPS does not have the manpower, and the City's uniformed staff do not have the power to undertake investigations.
Professor Isaac Khambule from the University of Johannesburg, who lectures on political economy, said the DA 's idea smacks of neoliberalism.
'The fact is they say it should be the private sector that is running all of these particular functions, as we've seen in the case of Prasa, because they tried to bring in more private stakeholders. And we've seen the president giving in to some of these demands, such as bringing private players on by Transnet.
'So, at this particular moment, I think we just need to look at one avenue that says, 'yes, it is something that the DA has been pushing for', but since they were swallowed by the GNU, they did not necessarily have space to push for the kind of reforms that they wanted."
DA Safety and Security Mayco member JP Smith said the Council's portfolio committee on safety and security passed a motion on June 4 to initiate an intergovernmental dispute. He also touted the city's emergency call centre, handing over 16,000 incidents to SAPS in the past 100 days alone, amid 'ongoing collapse of the national 10111 system'.
'We're stepping in where others are failing, and doing more to keep our residents safe.'
Given the DA's majority in the city council, the motion calling for the devolution is likely to pass.
However, Khambule has added that the DA's chances of getting the devolution are slim, as it could set a dangerous precedent.
'If they do allow this particular devolution, then it is likely to be more push for the entire Western Cape to be independent.
'It is not just an issue of the ANC not allowing it, but it is also about all the political players within Parliament who are not going to allow this particular devolution to happen, because tomorrow then you are seeding power to certain sub-national structures that may not necessarily be competent in addressing these issues.'
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