The government will continue to do everything possible to act against crime, but without ”theatrics”, President Thabo Mbeki said on Thursday.
Responding in the National Assembly to criticism of his approach to crime, Mbeki said: ”This I must say: for 64 years I have never had either the ability or the courage or the need to resort to grand theatrical gestures.
”I know this, as a matter of fact, that the overwhelming majority of the masses of our people would be gravely offended if tomorrow, to respond to the demands of the Pharisees, I should take to the stage to weep tears meant for the camera, to convince them of what they know, that the African National Congress, of which I am a proud member, now, for the first time in 95 years, has at last understood their pain, and is at one with them in lamenting their individual tragedies.
”There will be no empty theatrical gestures, no prancing on the stage and no flagellation, but we will continue to act against crime, as decisively as we have sought to do throughout the years of our liberation.
”From us, from the government, will issue no words that are lightly spoken,” he said.
Mbeki was replying to points raised in the National Assembly during the debate on his State of the Nation address.
He said from 1994/95 to 2006/07, the police budget had increased from R7,7-billion to R32,5-billion.
The Medium-Term Expenditure Framework (MTEF) visualised that the police budget for 2009/10 will be R43,6-billion — ”more than 600% of what it was when we achieved our freedom”.
Police numbers have increased from 116 774 in 2001/02 to 155 000 in 2005/06.
”In terms of our MTEF planning, three years after this, as I indicated broadly last Friday, for the year 2008/09, the number will be 183 000.”
What this means is that in seven years, the size of the police service will have been increased by at least 67 000 officers, significantly more than 50% of its size in 2001/02.
”These figures tell a simple story about the resources that our government has, through the years of freedom, allocated to the struggle for the safety and security of all our people, precisely because the achievement of this objective has always been one of the principal and therefore priority strategic objectives of the democratic revolution.
”About this, we will not apologise to anybody,” Mbeki said.
Improving analysis of crime trends
He repeated statistics showing that by far the bulk of violence against the person in South African society occurs in specific social circumstances, within communities that were poor, marginalised and afflicted by an almost irreversible sense of hopelessness.
With regard to murder and rape, 20% of these would then occur throughout society as a whole, outside the relatively narrow circle of relatives, friends or acquaintances, or people known to the victims.
Mbeki said that in his State of the Nation address, he had stated it is necessary to improve the analysis of crime trends to improve performance regarding both crime prevention and crime combating.
”In this regard, we must respond to the cold reality that, as in other countries, the overwhelming majority of violent crimes against the person occur in the most socio-economically deprived areas of our country and require strong and sustained community interventions focused on crime prevention.
”I stand by these conclusions and reaffirm that the government will do everything possible to act on what we have promised,” he said.
‘Resounding success’
Mbeki also on Thursday rejected suggestions that violent crime could result in South Africa losing the right to host the 2010 Soccer World Cup.
He said he is alarmed by African Christian Democratic Party (ACDP) leader Kenneth Meshoe’s warning that if violent crime is not drastically reduced, the country will lose the Cup.
Speaking on Tuesday, Meshoe said: ”If violent crime is not drastically reduced or eradicated, the privilege of hosting this prestigious event might slip through our fingers.”
Mbeki told MPs that Meshoe had made his statement for ”measly partisan reasons”, and believed quite wrongly he could convince world soccer body Fifa and the football world that South Africa will not host the best World Cup ever.
Mbeki said it has alarmed him greatly that Meshoe had said what he had, and referred to the ACDP leader’s description of Fifa president Sepp Blatter as a friend, admirer and supporter of South Africa.
Mbeki said Blatter is ”indeed a friend, admirer and supporter of South Africa, and a principled fighter for the restoration of the dignity of the African people universally”.
Regarding the incidence of violent crime and its relevance to the Cup, Mbeki said Blatter ”would say that he knows that the people of South Africa would host the world of football in conditions of safety”.
”He would say that having considered the report of its technical committee, which assessed the various bids to host the 2010 tournament, and which drew attention to the challenge of safety and security in our country, the executive committee of Fifa decided, deliberately and consciously, that our country should host the 2010 Fifa Soccer World Cup.”
Blatter would say, as he had told others, ”that the decision has been made — the 2010 Fifa Soccer World Cup will not slip through the fingers of the people of South Africa. It will take place in South Africa. It will be a resounding success,” Mbeki said, to loud applause from MPs.
Whatever the country’s problems, it shares a common resolve to make the 2010 Soccer World Cup the best ever, he said. — Sapa