Premier

The Department of Police Oversight and Community Safety informed me that:

1. Various interventions are being explored and implemented to coordinate and monitor the WCSP programmes and projects and drive achievement of outcomes. These include:

• The establishment of a Western Cape Safety Council to provide strategic oversight and high-level coordination across different entities and spheres of government. As the highest governing body for safety in the province, the Provincial Safety Council provides strategic leadership and oversight for all safety programmes and initiatives in the Western Cape – including those of municipalities like the City of Cape Town, provincial initiatives, and crucially, the SAPS. The Council convenes quarterly, following the release of the South African Police Service’s Crime Statistics, to assess trends, evaluate the effectiveness of ongoing interventions, and refine strategic priorities to enhance public safety.
• Establishment of a Provincial Safety Coordination Centre (PSCC) to serve as the integrated hub for intelligence-sharing, inter-agency collaboration, and emergency response coordination. The PSCC will coordinate the following:
  • All safety related data across departments, municipalities and agencies;
  • The portfolio of projects implemented throughout the province;
  •  The roll-out and administration of the integrated Community-level Safety and Development Programme; and
  • All the Safer City Cooperation Agreement interventions

2. New interventions are being explored as it relates to targeting communities in precincts where the highest homicide rate.

• The Department of Police Oversight and Community Safety is in the process of finalising the Western Cape Safety Plan 2.0 (2025–2030), which will develop Integrated Community Safety and Development Plans and establish the Community Safety and Development Forums in 21 targeted communities affected by severe levels of violent crime and economic and infrastructure decay. The Forum will serve as a multi-sectoral platform to provide strategic direction, oversight, and coordination of all initiatives as contained in the Safety and Development Plans. It will ensure alignment with the principles of Whole-of-Society Approach (WOSA) and Whole-of-Government Approach (WOGA).
• The implementation of the Cooperation Agreement, which is included as one of the programmes of the Safety Plan, is focused specifically on those 21 police stations recording the highest number of murders and attempted murders.
• Concluding Safer District Collaboration Agreements between the District Municipalities, SAPS and the WCG to enhance safety and security through joint initiatives, programmes, and strategies.
• In addition to the above, we will continue to work resolutely toward better resourcing, support, and collaboration with the SAPS, especially in our most troubled precincts. I have frequently informed this House that the number of SAPS members in the Western Cape has consistently failed to keep pace with the needs of our population in a human resourcing crisis that now spans more than a decade. But even among the SAPS members currently deployed within the Western Cape, we see a vast disparity in the resources allocated to low-crime areas, and those allocated to areas where crime is higher. This is a decision that is made by the leadership of the SAPS, and it is a decision that could be rectified tomorrow. We will continue to advocate for the needs of our communities in high-crime areas – where one SAPS member may be responsible for the safety of more than 800 people, and one detective may be forced to investigate more than 100 dockets at any given time – with the goal of ensuring equitable and effective resource allocation, and more police resources where they are most needed.
• In recent weeks, we have been fortunate enough to have positive engagements with acting Minister of Police Firoz Cachalia and various other stakeholders. and I am confident that we will be able to continue working towards a better way of policing for our province, and for South Africa at large – all in the interests of our residents and the creation of safer communities.