President Cyril Ramaphosa has lent his support to police officers in Inanda, north of Durban, who are intensifying their fight against the crippling levels of crime in the area.
Crime statistics for the 2018/19 financial year painted a sordid picture of sexual crimes in the area, revealing that 338 rape cases were reported at the station - the highest in the country.
This was an increase of 60 cases from the previous financial year.
The President visited the Mtshebheni Police Station in Inanda on Friday morning, ahead of the launch of the eThekwini District Development Model at the Princess Magogo Stadium in KwaMashu.
He toured the police station and engaged the men and women in blue on the importance of their work in the community.
“We’ve spent some time speaking to the police officers here,” he said. “They have a very huge task of policing this area and making sure that we reduce criminality and keep our people safe. They have relayed to me strategies that they have to bring down levels of crime.”
President Ramaphosa said the crime statistics were a blot on the region and that they had saddened him.
“At the same time we have dedicated officers here who have assured me that they will be doing all they can to bring the level of criminality down. They are dedicated, they are committed to [fighting crime],” he said.
President Ramaphosa said he had encouraged management at the police station that they should not be deterred in their efforts.
“I gave them a lot encouragement that they should continue to protect citizens with dedication. [This] is with hope that the next time I am here, rape would have come down,” he said.
The President said it was good to see that the person who is in charge of this work was a woman.
“She has a very difficult task. We wish them all well. We are here to support them and to give them all the resources that they will need to make sure that the people of this area are safe,” he said.
President Ramaphosa added that the end goal was to have safe cities where people are able to walk around freely without the fear of any harm being done to them. – SAnews.gov.za
