Posted Fri, 06 Aug 2010
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Mandate and responsibilities
The department derives its mandate from the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa (Act 108/1996) and other relevant legislative frameworks.
In terms of Section 206(3) of the Constitution, each province is entitled to:
• Monitor police conduct
• Oversee the effectiveness and efficiency of the police service, including receiving reports on the police service
• Promote good relations between the police and the community
• Assess the effectiveness of visible policing
• Liaise with the cabinet member responsible for policing with respect to crime and policing in the province
The department realises its objectives and its mandate through the following programmes:
Community
Liaison
This programme has two components; Community Policing and Social Crime Prevention. The purpose of the Community Policing directorate is to build, sustain and maintain partnerships in crime prevention. This programme also exists to mobilise community members to become involved in crime prevention in support of the South African Police Service (SAPS) objectives.
The Social Crime Prevention component deals with initiatives that potentially reduce, avert or eliminate victimisation by crime or violence. Its purpose is to manage the implementation of social-crime prevention strategies and programmes and to mobilise the communities to support initiatives related to reducing social crime.
Monitoring, Evaluation and Research
This programme is also divided into two parts – Monitoring, and Evaluation and Research. The Monitoring division is responsible for oversight of SAPS in the province. This includes monitoring of SAPS performance and
evaluating the functioning of police stations through the MEC’s Excellence Awards.
The Evaluation and Research team is responsible for receiving and processing complaints from members of the public against poor service. It also conducts research into any policing matter within the province.
Vision
A safe, secure and crime-free Mpumalanga Province.
Mission
To improve the safety of communities through mass participation, oversee the performance of the police and the provision of security services.
The following are key strategic goals of the department:
• An effectively managed department
• Provision of corporate support services
• Improved management of security services
• Effective oversight on the performance of SAPS
• A sustainable reduction in crime
Key projects and activities of the department
•
Raise awareness on crime prevention in the community
• Mobilising communities to become reservists or part of community-policing initiatives
• Conducting the MEC’s Excellence Awards to evaluate the performance of police stations
• Deployment and monitoring of tourist-safety monitors
• Reviving community-policing structures in communities, for example Community Police Forums
Highlights from the 2010/11 Policy and Budget Speech by MEC Manana
Manana appreciates the surrender of firearms
The MEC for Safety, Security and Liaison, Sibongile Manana, reported that at least 2 503 firearms and 23 183 rounds of ammunition were surrendered in Mpumalanga during the firearm-amnesty window period.
She has urged the public to continue surrendering firearms in an effort to reduce violent crime within communities.
Stock theft still a challenge for Mpumalanga
Stock
theft still remains a challenge with 66% of the cases recorded relating to stock taken from the grazing camps.
According to the MEC, Gert Sibande region is the most affected area, because the region boasts many stock farmers. She said the location of the police’s Stock Theft Units should be reviewed and be brought closer to areas where there is stock farming and where stock theft is prevalent.
More powers for the Independent Complaints Directorate
The MEC is hoping that complaints regarding police conduct will soon be reduced should an envisaged piece of legislation be promulgated later this year.
She hopes that the legislation will strengthen the Independent Complaints Directorate [ICD] and give it additional powers to execute its legislative mandate and ensure full independence from the SAPS.
The law will also enable the ICD to investigate serious crimes such as alleged rape by police officers, irrespective of whether the police officer was on or off-duty. The ICD’s services will also be made more accessible to rural communities.
Poor-performing police stations should be assisted
In terms of the excellence awards for best-performing police stations, MEC Manana wants the poor-performing stations to be assisted through an intervention plan. At least 15 out of 85 police stations are currently performing below average. Schoemansdaal Police Station, which was managed by a woman, was named the overall best-performing station in the province.
2010/11 budget allocation
The MEC presented her R111.4-million budget as follows:
• Programme 1 – R89-million
• Programme 2 – R15-million
• Programme 3 – R7-million
Key personnel:
Sibongile Manana, MEC
Isaiah Khoza, Head of Department
Key contact people:
Lindeni Nkosi, Deputy Information Officer
Joseph Mabuza, Deputy Information Officer
Tel: +27 13 766 4062 Fax: +27 13 766 4615
Physical address: 2nd floor, Building 4, 7 Government Boulevard, Riverside Park Extension, Nelspruit 1200
Postal address: Private Bag x11269, Nelspruit 1200
Website: www.mpumalanga.gov.za/Safetysecurity
