Evidence wa ka Ngobeni
Police in the Eastern Cape are incapable of reaching crime-ridden villages because of bad roads in the impoverished province. Serious crimes like rape go unreported because communities are unable to get to police stations, which are mostly situated kilometres away from the remote areas.
But this situation is expected to change with the introduction of a multimillion- rand project sponsored by the European Commission, South Africa’s largest foreign donor and trading partner.
The Eastern Cape police and other policing partners have welcomed the project, which involves new police vans designed to travel on bad roads.
The commission believes the new police vans, equipped with flexible bodies, will help to improve policing, enhance the investigation and reporting of crimes, and increase the visible presence of police officers in villages.
The police say the new vans, which each cost more than R60 000, will be able to help them reach remote areas even in the event of bad weather.
Dieter Kehler, policing co-ordinator in the Eastern Cape, says the cars currently used by the police are not suitable to face steep hills and rough, stony roads in the villages. “A normal car cannot make it there, even a tractor. So these new vehicles will help the police to reach places which were previously inaccessible to them,” he said.
The policing project, also sponsored by the British Department of International Development, is just one of many initiatives in the Eastern Cape funded by the European Commission.
This week commission ambassador Michael Laidler visited various development projects sponsored by his organisation to “reaffirm the commission’s commitment to development in the Eastern Cape”.
One of the projects, a community resources centre in Mooiplaas, about 45km outside East London, was hailed as a success story since the community settled there more than 30 years ago.
The centre, which received more than R650 000 through the European Commission’s micro-projects programme, will offer small business training and adult basic education to the people of Mooiplaas.
The centre will host a library, seminar rooms, offices and a computer laboratory. Telkom has already offered about 60 computers to the project and additional funding from government.
According to project organisers, community members will also be trained in juice making, baking, sewing, crop farming, poultry and sheep farming.
Welcome Mdlungu (53), a resident of Mooiplaas, said: “We only dreamt of these. We never thought we would have it”.
Mooiplaas has only two schools catering for more than 80 000 people. Mdlungu, who does piece work for a living, believes the centre is a sign of hope for the impoverished community.
“Our children have passed matric, but they cannot get a job and we do not have money to support them. So this centre will provide jobs for our children and help to develop our community,” he said.
Laidler said: “The European Union has contributed about R4-billion to reconstruction and development projects in South Africa since 1994.”
Although all the country’s provinces are benefiting from the commission’s aid, Laidler said the Eastern Cape has been identified as a “priority province” for the next six years.
Laidler said the commission is currently implementing projects worth R460-million in the Eastern Cape through the European Programme for Reconstruction and Development.
The commission also funds construction of schools in the Eastern Cape. The project is aimed at building 55 schools with 396 classrooms in remote areas of the province.
Laidler added that the schools project would cover the upgrading of existing educational infrastructure in the province. Sixty-five million rand has been allocated for the project.
Other projects funded by the European programme include:
l The Water Development Programme which aims at providing water supply and sanitation infrastructure in the rural areas. The water programme has received R119-million.
l The Urban Sector Network, a national network of eight NGOs providing development expertise and support to the urban poor. The network received R15- million.
l The Rural Development Services Network, aimed at providing skills and technology to rural communities; R4,8-million was allocated for this.
l The Non-Grid Electrification of Rural Schools project, aimed at improving educational standards and facilities in the remote areas of the province. The programme will supply non-grid electricity equipment – solar panels, batteries, wiring control circuitry lights, televisions, video recorders and overhead projectors – to 16 400 schools by next year. Funding for this project amounts to R47-million.
Another project, the Support to Spatial Development Initiative, is to be approved by the end of this year. The project, aimed at boosting economic and social development in the Eastern Cape, will receive more than R80-million from the commission. Laidler said the project will focus on developing tourism.