/ 15 February 2009

Motlanthe hits the campaign trail in Welkom

President Kgalema Motlanthe said on Saturday that burglary and housebreaking should be taken more seriously by the police and courts.

South Africa President Kgalema Motlanthe said on Saturday that burglary and housebreaking should be taken more seriously by the police service and courts.

Speaking to minorities in Welkom, he said many people laid burglary charges at police stations only to obtain a case number for insurance purposes, implying that there was no real expectation that their cases would be solved.

He said the current review of the entire criminal justice system would address this issue.

“I think burglaries ought to be treated as the most serious offence by the justice system. If you cannot be secure in your own home it means there is no life. The starting point of fighting crime should be secure residential areas.”

Motlanthe was speaking while campaigning for the ANC in Welkom in the Free State on Saturday.

He spent the afternoon going from door-to-door in the nearby Thabong township.

The leadership of the ANC in the province under Ace Mageshule were conspicuous by their absence. He was accompanied local leaders and provincial housing minister Joe Masereka.

The residents mostly raised complaints about housing and service delivery. The majority of the residents Motlanthe spoke to professed their love for the ANC but raised concerns about service delivery.

Eighty-five year old Sarah Morake walked up to Motlanthe when she saw him visiting her neighbour in Thabong.

Morake pleaded with Motlanthe to talk to the local leaders about the fact that she still does not have a house even though she raised the issue when ANC president Jacob Zuma visited the area previously.

“I’m angry because this is my organisation and I will die for it. But I don’t even have a [ANC] T-shirt,” she said.

Addressing about 2 000 residents later, Motlanthe urged them to elect honest and accountable public representatives.

“In the ANC we don’t want praise singers who tell us things that make us happy. We need people who we can trust and always remember service to the people. When we tell them the truth we build them. No one has a right to be angry when confronted with the truth.”