Cape Town - The Justice, Crime Prevention and Security Cluster is set to meet its target of arresting and prosecuting 100 people suspected of serious corruption by April 2014. The same people are suspected of having more than R5 million in illicit assets.
Justice and Constitutional Development Minister Jeff Radebe led the cluster in updating the media on its ongoing work to combat crime on Sunday.
He said in the first 18 months of improving coordination of the law enforcement agencies, which is led by the Anti-Corruption Team, "significant progress has been made towards reaching our targets".
He cited that between April and December 2011, 56 persons were being investigated and in 2012, they would be investigating 32 more.
He said that 26 of these people had been arrested and appeared in court, 12 of them having done so this year.
Radebe said that 19 of these people had had their assets to the value of R579 million frozen.
"The current priority case investigation involves a total of 157 suspect persons. Through concerted effort and coordination within our cluster, the impact of our work is beginning to be felt. This, we believe, will have a deterrent effect on potential offenders," he said.
The minister said in his address that more South Africans were joining in the fight against crime in general. He called on the nation to take part in anti-corruption campaigns.
In addition, he said on-going police training, equitable distribution of policing resources, the creation of a professional police force would be consolidated during this and next year.
