SIU's Mothibi flags increasing threats against investigators probing corruption
With the support of the French embassy, the SIU has been able to turn its training offering into a formal academy to hone the skills of civil servants across the continent.
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IOL News
8 hours ago
- IOL News
New strategies to combat gang violence
The province is leading the way in South Africa's fight against gang culture, implementing a comprehensive strategy focused on youth empowerment and disrupting recruitment networks. Image: Pexels The battle against gangsterism in the province has taken a significant step forward with the implementation of a robust inter-departmental Anti-Gangsterism Implementation Plan. Spearheaded by the Department of Police Oversight and Community Safety, the initiative aims to address the recruitment of minors into gang culture. Social Development Minister Nokuzola Tolashe revealed this following a parliamentary question by the EFF's Noluvuyo Tafeni, who wanted to know the Department of Social Development's (DSD) interventions to mitigate the recruitment of minors into gangsterism by gangsters, specifically in the Western Cape. In her response, Tolashe explained that the Western Cape Department of Police Oversight and Community Safety is the lead department in anti-gangsterism strategy and coordinates the annual provincial inter-departmental Anti-Gangsterism Implementation Plan. Young boys in the Western Cape are increasingly being used as gang recruits. The province is leading the way in South Africa's fight against gang culture, implementing a comprehensive strategy focused on youth empowerment and disrupting recruitment networks. Image: File 'Departments report on their anti-gang plans and activities in selected high-gang areas. The factors that focus on the strengthening of social protective factors against violence include substance abuse, youth development, and early childhood development. These interventions are consolidated into a Provincial Anti-Gang Implementation Plan to ensure integrated interventions in the identified areas,' Tolashe said. 'The recruitment of minors into gangsterism is reported under the prevention level of these interventions.' Tolashe outlined interventions that various departments can implement. The Department of Social Development has community and residential interventions. The community-based interventions are managed through the Area-Based Teams (ABT) with profiling gang-related patterns and targeted interventions such as school-based crime prevention and life skills programmes, parenting programmes, school holiday programmes, school-based substance prevention programmes, and youth cafes for job skills training. Tolashe also explained that Child and Youth Care Centres have a strong focus on addressing the root causes of youth vulnerability and equip them with skills and support to resist gang involvement. This includes therapeutic counselling, mentorship programmes, behavioural management programmes, education, and skills development programmes. The centres also provide adult basic education and training (ABET) and vocational skills training for those youth who are unable to attend mainstream schools. Youth are also taught non-violent methods for resolving disputes, reducing the need for gang affiliation. Tolashe said there are integrated awareness campaigns and operations between SAPS and the City law enforcement in high gang areas. Tolashe outlined the Western Cape Education Department's Safe Schools interventions. These include search and seizures of dangerous weapons, anti-bullying, anti-gangsterism and anti-substance abuse interventions, holiday and after-school programmes, leadership training, peer mediation, clean-up campaigns, back-to-school, sport, arts and culture, and parent meetings. Tafeni further pressed Minister Tolashe for details on the effectiveness of these interventions and the metrics used to assess them. Responding, Tolashe said: 'DSD alone cannot effectively address the gang prevalence in the Western Cape. Therefore, a whole-of-government approach is followed in the Western Cape. Interventions created inter-departmental linkages that created an effective continuum of services, a better understanding of departmental roles and responsibilities, and highlighted service delivery gaps. 'Effectiveness of interventions is, however, hampered by budget cuts of all departments, continued increase in provincial crime stats, dangerous and volatile communities, low levels of community interest and participation, and the ongoing safety risk for our social workers and other auxiliary staff.'
The Citizen
10 hours ago
- The Citizen
Crooks rip away poor's better life
William Huma must repay R21 million, but no court can restore the opportunities stolen from the poorest South Africans. Sometimes, there are glimmers of hope that justice will be served in South Africa and that the country could become the prosperous, fair, place we all believe it should be. One such was news former National Lotteries Commission board member William Huma has been ordered to pay back R21 million in stolen grant funds, which should have been used to empower women and children in villages in the North West. The Special Investigating Unit and the Special Tribunal have been on the case of malfeasance in the structures of the national Lotto for some years now, following the dogged reporting of the corruption and theft by news organisation GroundUp. Brave whistle-blowers in the organisation have also provided valuable information. ALSO READ: WATCH: Mashatile denies family tied to multibillion-rand lottery deal Huma is but one of the examples of individuals in the lottery structure manipulating the system of grants to enrich themselves and their families. As with many schemes concocted by our corrupt and immoral civil servants, or those working for state-owned enterprises and statutory bodies, these thefts can never be written off as 'victimless crimes'. Countless numbers of the poorest of the poor and the most vulnerable in society have had any chance of a better life ripped away from them by these evil people.
Daily Maverick
10 hours ago
- Daily Maverick
Trump administration to vet immigration applications for ‘anti-Americanism'
The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services said in a ' policy alert ' dated Tuesday that it gave immigration officers new guidance on how to exercise discretion in cases where foreign applicants 'support or promote anti-American ideologies or activities' as well as 'antisemitic terrorism.' Trump has labeled a range of voices as anti-American, including historians and museums documenting U.S. slavery and pro-Palestinian protesters opposing U.S. ally Israel's military assault on Gaza. 'Anti-American activity will be an overwhelmingly negative factor in any discretionary analysis,' USCIS said. 'America's benefits should not be given to those who despise the country and promote anti-American ideologies.' The announcement did not define anti-Americanism. But the policy manual refers to a section of federal law about prohibiting naturalization of people 'opposed to government or law, or who favor totalitarian forms of government.' The full text mentions supporters of communism or totalitarian regimes and people who advocate overthrow of the U.S. government and violence against government officers, among other factors. USCIS said it expanded the types of applications that have social media vetting, and reviews for 'anti-American activity' will be added to that vetting. Aaron Reichlin-Melnick, a senior fellow at the American Immigration Council, said the step hearkened to the 1950s when Senator Joseph McCarthy hunted alleged communists in a campaign that became synonymous with political persecution. 'McCarthyism returns to immigration law,' he said. Anti-Americanism 'has no prior precedent in immigration law and its definition is entirely up to the Trump admin.' In April, the U.S. government said it would begin screening the social media of immigrants and visa applicants for what it called antisemitic activity. Rights advocates raised free speech and surveillance concerns.
