Through the Justice, Crime Prevention, and Security (JCPS) Cluster, government is consolidating resources to end extortion and ensure that communities conduct business without fear or intimidation.
“We are also aware of the persistent issues of high levels of extortion crimes, particularly in Mthatha, Eastern Cape,” said Deputy President Paul Mashatile.
The Eastern Cape town of Mthatha is battling extortion crime by syndicates, which have led to at least one school and several businesses shutting down, according to reports.
Mashatile, in his capacity as Leader of Government Business in Parliament, was delivering a keynote address during the first Three-Sphere Planning session of the National Council of Provinces (NCOP) of the seventh Parliament in Cape Town.
He told the Members of the NCOP that the Government of National Unity (GNU), has adopted three priorities, including inclusive growth and job creation, reducing poverty and tackling the high cost of living, and building a capable, ethical, and developmental state.
“We have adopted the above three priorities because whilst we have made significant progress over the 30 years in reducing poverty and inequality, we remain faced with the challenges of a slow-growing economy, high unemployment and poverty rate, high incidence of crime, corruption and lawlessness, and a highly fractured society.”
Mashatile said the seventh administration has decided to invest in the building of a capable, developmental State.
“A developmental State, in our context, is a State that will redirect resources towards job creation and ensure that people have access to asset ownership, economic opportunity, education, healthcare, and other basic services.”
More importantly, in a quest for a developmental State, the Deputy President mentioned that government will continue to invest in building safer communities.
“Building safer communities is not only a police responsibility, but it is a shared responsibility between the police, communities and all sectors of our society.”
He has since urged citizens to hold hands with law enforcement agencies to combat crime in communities.
The planning session is being held under the theme: ‘Establishing an Oversight Agenda for the Seventh Parliament: Defining Key Oversight Priorities for the NCOP in the Seventh Parliament’.
Parliament‘s strategic innovation emphasises joint and integrated planning, encouraging collaborative work in programme planning and implementation across government.
The session is aimed at ensuring that the NCOP institutionalises and implements a comprehensive Three-Sphere Planning oversight framework and mechanism, in line with the constitutional mandate of promoting the principles of cooperative governance coordination.
Government believes this will enhance the effective implementation of key transformation priorities, in line with National Development Plan Vision 2030. – SAnews.gov.za
