Police Oversight and Community Safety
In the light of the suspension of the national Minister of Police, Mr Senzo Mchunu, following allegations of corruption:
- (a) What impact did this have on the existing collaboration between the City of Cape Town, the provincial government and the national Ministry and (b) what contingency plans are in place to ensure that cooperation continues uninterrupted among the three spheres of government;
- whether there were any positive developments or achievements to date in the fight against crime following the initial inception of the MOU; if not, why not; if so, what are the relevant details?
(1) (a) The suspension of the national Minister of Police, Mr Senzo Mchunu, has not had a material impact on the existing collaboration between the City of Cape Town, the Western Cape Provincial Government, and the national Ministry of Police. The operational collaboration is governed by established protocols, technical working groups, and the signed Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), which ensure that intergovernmental cooperation is not dependent on any one individual office-bearer.
(b) To ensure continuity, the respective administrative and operational structures within all three spheres of government remain in place and continue to engage on matters of policing, crime prevention, and safety.
Contingency plans include the delegation of responsibilities to senior officials within the South African Police Service (SAPS), as well as ongoing liaison through joint operational forums. These mechanisms safeguard uninterrupted cooperation, despite changes in political leadership.
- Yes, there have been positive developments since the inception of the MoU. Key achievements include:
- Enhanced information-sharing between SAPS, provincial safety structures, and the City’s law enforcement agencies, enabling more coordinated responses to priority crimes.
- Joint operations focusing on gang-related violence, drug trafficking, and illegal firearms, which have led to measurable arrests and seizures.
- Improved alignment of resource deployment in identified crime hotspots, with greater visibility of law enforcement personnel in high-risk communities.
- Ongoing collaboration on technology-driven interventions, such as integrated CCTV and gunshot detection systems, which strengthen intelligence-led policing.
These developments illustrate that, notwithstanding leadership changes at the national level, the multi-sphere approach to crime prevention and policing continues to yield tangible benefits.
