President Cyril Ramaphosa says South Africa requires independent and sophisticated law enforcement agencies to fight the scourge of rampant crime plaguing the nation.
Addressing the joint sitting of the National Assembly and the National Council of Provinces on Thursday night, during the opening of Parliament in Cape Town, Ramaphosa said the day was pregnant with meaning and significance.
The opening of Parliament was done on International Mandela Day, the day when the world celebrates the birth of the founding father of South Africa, former president Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela.
Ramaphosa said the seventh administration made up of a government of national unity, will deploy modern technology to fight crime.
“To tackle crime and corruption we must have capable, sophisticated and independent law enforcement agencies that can fight complex and organised crime,” he said.
“We will deploy modern technology to assist crime fighting. A data-driven approach will be used to identify violent crime hotspots and inform the allocation of policing resources alongside prevention measures.
“We will continue to tackle priority crimes like illegal mining, gang violence, cash-in-transit heists and the construction mafia through specialised police units,” he said.
Ramaphosa said South Africa will continue to implement the National Strategic Plan on Gender-Based Violence and Femicide, and expand victim support services, like the Thuthuzela Centres and GBV desks in police stations.
The president led the first Cabinet lekgotla at the Sefako Makgatho Presidential Guest House in Tshwane this weekend with ministers, deputy ministers and premiers in attendance to set out a programme of action the government will undertake.
Speaking on the sidelines of the lekgotla, Ramaphosa said he was ready and in good spirits before Parliament opened.
IOL