Festive season safety campaign drive launched

Joburg mayor Herman Mashaba has launched this year’s Festive Season Campaign focusing on various aspects affecting community safety.

There has been an early increase in robberies at shopping centres, with cellphone stores, jewellery stores and cash-in-transit vehicles being targeted. Mashaba yesterday emphasised the importance of “being vigilant against crime and obeying by-laws”.

The department of community safety will once again collaborate with entities such as City Parks, the department of transport, SA Police Service, Gauteng traffic police, the Central Business District Forum and the Self Help Association of Paraplegics.

“Our festive season falls within the summer school holiday period, a time when many businesses scale down their operations, families go on holiday and parks and shopping centres see an increase in visitors,” Mashaba said.

“Unfortunately, this is also the time of year when criminal elements take advantage of the relaxed atmosphere in our communities, resulting in homes or businesses being burgled.”

He said that every year, there was a profound disregard for bylaws and the rules of the road.

“Sadly, this disregard for the law sometimes results in the unnecessary loss of life. It is also worrisome that excessive consumption of alcohol tends to increase, which often leads to assault, increased reporting on incidents of sexual violence, reckless and negligence driving, noise compliance, fatal crashes and domestic violence.”

The campaign will focus on crime prevention … prevention of driving under the influence, speed enforcement, public transport compliance, pedestrian safety awareness and by-law management.

– news@citizen.co.za