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‘You’ll hate me’: Lesufi shares bold stance on surveillance in Gauteng
Panyaza Lesufi said Gauteng residents will face heightened surveillance measures over the coming months, from drones to tracking all vehicles.
Newly elected ANC Gauteng chairperson Panyaza Lesufi. Photo: Twitter/@MYANC
Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi on Wednesday underscored his commitment to public service, but he warned that residents are going to hate him in the coming months…
In an engaging conversation with Metro FM’s Tbo Touch, Lesufi said his goal is to improve the lives of Gauteng residents while fighting crime and wiping out poverty.
Lesufi’s plans for Gauteng
When Tbo said Lesufi is known to be a disruptive force no matter where he goes – first in education and now as the premier of Gauteng – Lesufi said it due to his upbringing.
“The biggest thing I always tell people, maybe it’s my upbringing… my mom used to say to me if you can do it, you must do it. It propels me.”
Lesufi said he is implementing a surveillance plan across Gauteng which will make him unpopular over the coming months.
Gauteng surveillance
“You will hate me in Gauteng in the next three months because you’ll be completely under surveillance.”
Part of this plan includes the implementation of 80 000 CCTV cameras across the province.
Why? Lesufi explains:
“Because you can’t have this amount of crime that goes unwatched.
“We’ve already released 180 drones to solve our problems, and we’re giving citizens an e-panic button so police can come and rescue you when you feel unsafe”.
A cashless, digital Gauteng
Lesufi also envisages a cashless Gauteng, transitioning to a digital economy to eradicate cash-related crimes, from ATM bombings to robberies.
This revolutionised financial approach, he believes, is an essential step to increase public safety.
“If you remove cash, ATM bombings are gone, cash-in-transit heists are gone, robberies are gone. Gauteng must be cashless, ot must be digital economy”.
He emphasised the importance of technology in the province’s development strategy, with ambitious plans to use satellites for law enforcement and public safety.
Police resources
Another vital part of the strategy is to ensure police are fully equipped to combat crime.
He said police stations have already received extra vehicles, nearly 400 vehicles have been deployed in total.
He said the province also signed agreements with security firms to assist when the police are unavailable.
Lesufi thanked the security companies for their cooperation.
Fighting crime and youth unemployment
His plan is to fight crime by addressing another provincial problem – youth unemployment.
The premier said 2 000 new recruits joined the police force, along with 6 000 unemployed youths, of which a third are already in training for specialised services such surveillance.
He said 40 000 job opportunities will be provided to young people in Orlando tomorrow, 27 July. Most of these youths will be trained on how to install solar devices.
“Almost 40 000 young people will get appointment letters tomorrow.”
Using solar to defeat load shedding
The premier said: “We intend to take advantage of solar to defeat load shedding. The majority of houses and buildings will be on solar.
“The electricity produced in SA, almost 40% goes to Gauteng. We are the ones creating jobs […] We can’t protect businesses against load shedding if we can’t remain the economic hub”.
“We called for young people who want to be trained to be solar installation technicians [and will be paying]them a stipend up to R7 000 while training them.
Vehicle shake-up
Lesufi said another significant change coming to Gauteng is the implementation of a new number plate system from November.
These number plates will be designed to track cars and reduce crimes involving vehicles. He explained:
“We are changing things up and you’re going to be angry with me. A car is the key source in all crime – in robberies, with fake numberplates, etc.”
He said these new number plates cannot be copied.
“We will know and track each and every car. You’re going to fight me.”
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