BHP Billiton South Africa on Monday donated R1-million towards the fight against aggravated robberies, bulk syndicated theft, commercial crime and corruption.
Some of the money donated to Business against Crime South Africa — an organisation supporting the government’s fight against crime — will help improve service delivery at police stations, the company’s senior manager, Sam Seepei, said in a statement.
”We feel that Business against Crime’s initiatives will benefit the greater South African community in terms of strengthening police delivery and the justice system efficiency,” he said.
On receiving the donation, Business against Crime CEO Kenny Fihla said the money will be used to fund the organisation’s six current projects — the Criminal Justice Strengthening Programme, the Tiisa Thuto schools programme, the Support Programme for Police Stations (SPPS), the Commercial Crime Project, the Organised Crime Project and the Correctional Services Support Programme.
He singled out Tiisa Thuto and the SPPS, saying they are aimed at crime and violence reduction in mining.
”Business against Crime and various industry bodies have established an Industry Alignment Forum [IAF] to reduce the incidence and financial losses to bulk syndicated theft, which is organised in a syndicated manner.”
Fihla said the IAF is also meant to improve the rate of detection, arrests and prosecutions of organised offenders. ”Through the IAF initiative, the SAPS [South African Police Service] managed to arrest 1 303 people for illegally buying, stealing and possessing uncut diamonds and unwrought metals in 2004 and 2005.”
R40-million was recovered and, like other money recovered from syndicates, it was ploughed back into crime-fighting operations.
He said theft of gold-bearing materials and platinum is estimated to be R2-billion and R500-million a year respectively. ”In 2005, the SAPS estimated that 15 syndicates were involved in stealing precious metals and stones.”
Fihla said another problem affecting the mining industry is syndicates that steal non-ferrous metals such as copper cables and aluminium. Six syndicates are believed to have been involved in this kind of theft in 2005 alone.
”The business sector established a non-ferrous metal-theft combating committee, which has decreased the incidence of copper and aluminium theft by 49%,” he added. — Sapa