Gauteng safety and liaison minister Firoz Cachalia has called on sporting formations to put their shoulders to the wheel in the fight against crime.
Speaking at the quarterly sports and recreation stakeholders’ meeting in Mogale City on the West Rand, Cachalia said the province’s anti-crime campaign focused on mobilising grassroots communities and creating a social movement against lawlessness.
Cachalia told the meeting that, contrary to media reports, the six- month campaign to reduce crime had been a success. At the beginning of the campaign, Cachalia had said that he would leave his position if he thought he had not done enough to curb it. At this week’s meeting, he said all crime categories except house and business robberies had decreased during the period.
“I hope you will respond to my plea by finding a way of getting involved in the fight against crime,” he said.
Cachalia, who plans to launch the “Take Charge” campaign in March, told representatives of various sports codes that their participation in the anti-crime drive was as essential as those of faith-based communities.
“Sports organisations have a connection to communities that government does not have. They are in a unique position to play a role that government alone cannot play. We cannot win this battle alone and neither can the police,” he said.
Speaking at the same meeting, the Gauteng safety and liaison department’s Lesley Hudson outlined what the “Take Charge” campaign would be about.
As the name implies, the movement is aimed at countering the despondency in communities and fostering the belief that it is possible to reduce crime if the various role players act in concert.
Government would also detail what the department would do and what it expected from others. In terms of the campaign, government acknowledged that it was responsible for safety in the province and committed itself to reducing priority crimes, including women and children.