By OBAKENG MAJE
10 April 2025- The president of Republic of South Africa (RSA), Cyril Ramaphosa calls on South African Police Service (SAPS) and other law enforcement agencies to continue to safeguard the nation. Ramaphosa said the nation’s safety and security requires that they are proactive, innovative and solutions-oriented in their approach.
Ramaphosa further said as a frontline service, the police interface with the communities daily. He added that, as such, the police need to be guided by the Batho Pele principles of high service standards, consultation, equal access to services, and treating citizens with respect, dignity and empathy.
“The SAPS mission is to investigate and prevent crime and ensure that offenders are brought to justice, to counter threats to community safety and security and importantly, to participate in efforts to address the root causes of crime.
“Crime is both a cause and a symptom. It is a cause of insecurity and instability in communities. It weakens the social fabric. Crime has a direct impact on the economy,” said Ramaphosa.
He said it discourages investment, disrupts business activity and leads to increased security costs for companies. Ramaphosa said crime is also a symptom of wider problems in a society.
“Poverty and inequality, unemployment, lack of opportunity, patriarchy and misogyny, and broken family structures are just some of the issues that contribute to crime and criminality.
“Addressing crime without understanding its root causes is like a doctor treating a patient for a fever without diagnosing the underlying illness. It is therefore encouraging that this summit has as one of its key objectives adopting a more holistic approach to law-enforcement, encompassing not just the police but the entire policing system,” he said.
Ramaphosa said it is also encouraging that this summit brings together stakeholders from the safety and security establishment, communities and civil society, business, the interfaith sector, labour and other sectors. He said just as crime is an all-of-society problem, overcoming crime must be an all-of-society effort.
“In doing so, we must marshall our full support behind the hardworking men and women of the South African Police Service. The policing terrain of today is complex and multi-faceted.
“The police strive to fulfill their mandate in the context of emerging threats. These threats include transnational organised crime, illegal mining, extortion syndicates, the theft of economic infrastructure, money laundering and terror financing,” said Ramaphosa.
He said even in this extremely challenging environment, the South African Police Service continues to register successes in fighting crime in its various operations. Ramaphosa said to build on these successes, they need to restore public trust and faith in the police.
“We need to improve the relationships between the police and the communities they serve. We need to work to improve the morale of SAPS members, many of whom are battling heavy workloads, insufficient resources and outdated systems.
“Even as the SAPS budget has increased over the past ten years, the reality is that the number of police personnel has been declining while the country’s population has been growing,” he said.
The Guardian 