Alex resident and Gauteng MEC for Community Safety Sizakele Nkosi-Malobane has urged communities, which are ravaged by crime and substance abuse, to stand up and fight the scourge.
Nkosi-Malobane said prevention remained a cornerstone in fighting crime and substance abuse. Hence, the department regularly conducts crime and substance abuse road shows in an attempt to educate communities on the dangers of drugs and alcohol.
During road shows, communities often level allegations against the police, claiming law enforcement agencies know were the drugs were sold but do not act upon this. In reply to this statement, Nkosi-Malobane urged communities, such as Alexandra, to lead with activism in the fight against substance abuse.
“I urge communities to stand up and fight against crime and substance abuse, particularly nyaope that continues to rip the communities a part. That being said, we need not turn a blind eye to our law enforcers. We must work closely with them in this war,” she said.
Nkosi-Malobane said the recent released crime statistics offer a little, and in most instances, no comfort to winning the war against crime. She said police figures indicate that 60 percent of the serious crimes committed were related to substance abuse.
Alexandra has witnessed a serious jump in drugs and other substance abuse and the clear link to crimes committed was visible, as most of the serious crimes were committed as from Friday evening to Sunday, when people are off work and indulge in alcohol and other substances.
In as much as communities can lay the blame squarely on government, Nkosi-Malobane said crime prevention initiatives equally need active community involvement in order to realise a safer place to work, live and walk the streets of Gauteng without fear of intimidation.
Nkosi-Malobane bemoaned the disbanding in 2004 of the SA Narcotics Bureau, which she described as a dedicated drug-fighting unit within the police that had achieved some notable successes. “Perhaps we need to rethink the disbandment and reinstate the unit,” she said.
