1, 085 new JMPD recruits unveiled at ceremonial pass out parade

Statement by mayor Herman Mashaba:

Ladies and gentlemen,

One of the great tragedies of South Africa’s democratic dispensation is the unbelievable depths to which our public service has fallen.

Part of this can be attributed to the dire lack of quality of personnel that forms a significant portion of our public service, and which is meant to serve us.

This, in turn, can further be blamed on numerous other unsavoury practices, most of which we are all familiar with.

I am referring here, of course, to cronyism, nepotism and rampant corruption.

But perhaps this dire lack of quality that our residents encounter daily can, in large part, be blamed on how, we as a society, have come to view public service merely as an employment centre.

This is what has crippled our public service, and our law enforcement agencies have sadly been unable to escape the clutches of the politically connected and their ability to erode that which they come into contact with.

The true meaning of Public Service has been hollowed out, and in its place now rests a deep, dark space for people with an uncontrollable thirst for political control.

Also in that space are millions of South Africans in need of a job – even if one does not meet the most basic requirements for acquiring employment in the government.

Like many public entities or government agencies, the JMPD has had to confront the harsh realities that come with our unusually high unemployment rate.

In 2017, when we took the bold decision to take public safety and law enforcement seriously – the first time a municipality had shown such courage and conviction – we were surprised to learn that 65 000 people applied for 1 579 trainee positions in the JMPD.

If this does not speak to the desperation of our unemployed masses, I don’t know what does.
And I am willing to bet that most of the applicants were young people who had never known gainful employment, but who in all likelihood possessed qualifications higher than what was required to become JMPD officers.

I understand the desperation our young people feel when faced with the reality of long-term unemployment, despite possessing qualifications which normally would guarantee one a reasonable opportunity of being employed.

It is my considered view, however, that we have to be more circumspect in how we view our public service and law enforcement agencies in relation to the need to create employment opportunities for fellow South Africans.

We have to insist on honesty, integrity, commitment and an unwavering dedication to serve others as the supreme values to rely upon when deciding who can be accepted into our law enforcement agencies.
This is absolutely important, given that nations, and their cities, rise or fall on the principle of the Rule of Law.

The world’s greatest nations and cities are distinguishable by their ability to keep their people safe, in the best of times and especially in the worst.

Authorities tasked with leading these nations and cities know that the immediate job at hand is not merely to keep residents safe but to carry out their work in such a manner that allows people to ACTUALLY feel safe.

This is the ultimate goal for public representatives like myself, and it will so for each of you once you have taken your oath and begin active duty.

There are those who would suggest that we are losing the fight against crime and lawlessness but I want to say to all of you here today, we are not ones to throw in the towel so easily.

To the residents of the City of Johannesburg, we are all too aware of what the failure to apprehend criminals and lawbreakers, especially the murderers of our law enforcement officers, would mean to you.
It would mean that evil and lawlessness have won over law and order.

That can never be. It will never be, not so long as we hold dear our promise to you of change.
To the JMPD trainees before me as well as those who have served for some time now, I say each of you has what it takes to take back Johannesburg from those who have dedicated themselves to a life of crime.

By no means will the task be an easy one. It has never been but we owe it to each other, our loved ones and our communities to restore the Rule of Law and get criminals off our streets.

And there are clear signs of success. Even in the early days of this administration, we began seeing a turnaround as a result of decisive action to bolster our police.

JMPD capacitated its force with the addition of 332 new officers in 2017, after hosting two pass out parades in April and November of that year.

Within the first quarter of that year, the JMPD Narcotics Unit had confiscated thousands of kilograms of drugs throughout the City.

Crime statistic pointed to impressive declines.

We saw this downward trend in the number of residential burglaries as well as business burglaries.
Other crime headaches for the City – motor vehicle theft and common robbery – also came down significantly.

Even though we were barely a year in office, it is my contention that these figures are a testament to the fact that we were and are slowly winning the battle against crime.

We will eventually win the war.