The KwaZulu-Natal MEC for Transport, Community Safety and Liaison, Mxolisi Kaunda led a Thuma Mina Friday Safety Walk in Madadeni near Newcastle today to mobilise members of the community against the scourge of crime.
The safety walk is part of the Department of Community Safety and Liaison November Safety Month programme which focuses on eradicating crime in townships in the province. Recently released crime statistics indicate that townships contribute significantly in contact crimes which include murder, rape, assault and robbery.
“Every Friday, I will be leading safety walks in township and rural areas to ensure that we eradicate the scourge of crime both on the roads and in our communities. This campaign will go beyond the festive season to ensure that we connect with our people with an aim of improving their lives in line with President Cyril Ramaphosa’s call of Thuma Mina,” said Kaunda.
Addressing a packed community hall in Madadeni, Kaunda commended the sterling work done by the police in the Amajuba District to fight crime. Out of 57 murder cases, police have been able to arrest 41 suspects since April this year. He urged the police to work harder to ensure that other categories of crime such as rape and stock theft are drastically reduced in the district.
From April this year, 74 cases of rape were reported in Madadeni alone. “Such statistics call on all of us to form a united front against crime and we want perpetrators of this crime to be traced and arrested so that people of Madadeni can have a peaceful festive season,” said Kaunda.
In preparation for the festive season, Kaunda said that police will increase visibility in the area by conducting law enforcement operations in illegal liquor outlets and to recover illegal firearms. “Alcohol and illegal firearms