The Leave No One Behind 2024 – A Five Year Review revealed that new leadership was put in place in the South African Police Service, Hawks, National Prosecuting Authority and State Security Agency to ensure the stability, integrity and capability of these key crime-fighting bodies. Picture: Armand Hough / Independent Newspapers
Durban — The Presidency has featured crime in its progress in the nation’s recovery and rebuilding documented in the summary of a five-year review, ahead of President Cyril Ramaphosa’s delivery of the State of Nation Address on Thursday.
The summary, titled Leave No One Behind 2024 – A Five Year Review, documents South Africa’s recovery and rebuilding since 2019.
This includes progress made in growing the economy and jobs; fighting corruption; tackling poverty; developing human capital; providing quality health care for all; fighting crime, violence and instability; making communities safer and investing in infrastructure.
Under crime, the report looks at crime-fighting, violence and instability as well as eradicating gender-based violence and femicide.
The report states that new leadership was put in place in the SAPS, Hawks, National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) and State Security Agency (SSA) to ensure the stability, integrity and capability of these key crime-fighting bodies.
The report said that the administration increased police personnel, including the recruitment of 20 000 police trainees and an additional 4 000 public order policing members during 2022 and 2023.
On tackling illegal mining, extortion, cable theft and vandalism, the report said: “Twenty specialised SAPS Economic Infrastructure Task Teams have been established to work with business, private security and state-owned enterprises to tackle illegal mining, construction site extortion, cable theft and vandalism of economic infrastructure.
“By November 2023, the task teams had made more than 4 000 arrests for damage to critical infrastructure; 70 arrests for extortion at construction sites and more than 3 000 arrests for illegal mining; and confiscated significant quantities of copper cable, rail tracks and other metals.”
The report also said that when it comes to securing the country’s borders, the Border Management Authority was launched as South Africa’s third armed force to manage and secure our borders, providing a vital link in the government’s efforts to harness the benefits of the African Continental Free Trade Area.
Looking at cases that have gone before the court, under new leadership in the NPA, an average conviction rate:
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