Thanks to Operation Buya Mthetho, a multidisciplinary crime-fighting initiative, a raft of measures to combat grime and crime in Johannesburg are bearing fruit. These were the sentiments of the Public Safety MMC, Cllr David Tembe, at a press conference in Martindale on Wednesday, 17 August.
Buya Mthetho is a collaborative effort involving service departments and entities, as well as other external law enforcement stakeholders. Cllr Tembe said he had resurrected Operation Buya Mthetho as a strategy to combat crime and reclaim hijacked properties in the inner city.
He said the JMPD has had a plethora of successes in reducing crime in recent weeks, from ensuring that all officers have the necessary tools of the trade to perform their duties adequately, to establishing 22-point roadside checkpoints in Alexandra, the inner city, and Soweto.
Plans are afoot to increase this to 44 checkpoints, which will be 22 during the day and the rest at night.
“Our job is to prevent crime, not to respond to it because, by the time we respond, a person is dead,” Cllr Tembe said.
He said the deployment of an army of JMPD officers throughout the inner city has not only increased police visibility but has assisted the Public Safety Department in lowering crime in Johannesburg.
Cllr Tembe said the strategy of maintaining high police visibility in the central business district was giving investors and business owners confidence that their valuables are protected.
“No economy thrives in a state of lawlessness. Public Safety and Economic Development depend on each other,” said the MMC of Economic Development, Nkululeko Mbundu.
The Public Safety Department has trained and deployed 66 JMPD officers in Alexandra to bolster the efforts of the 170 officers stationed in Region E in combating crime and controlling traffic, especially during load shedding as more crime was reported at that time.
Cllr Tembe spoke of the recent tavern killings in Joburg.
“We condemn in the strongest terms possible those killings, but condemnation is not enough. This is why Operation Buya Mthetho has been reinforced to make sure accidents like that don’t flourish in the City.”
JMPD Director, Mathokoza Kgaswane, said since the start of Operation Buya Mthetho in February, more than 200 stolen vehicles have been recovered in Johannesburg and about 130 people found with illegal drugs have been apprehended.
“We need to change the narrative that officers are not doing their job. Their visibility and commitment are particularly important. Our job is to prevent crime rather than to react to it,” said Cllr Tembe.
More than 1,600 kg of stolen electrical cables have been confiscated and an arrest was made. About 115 motorists have been arrested for reckless and negligent driving, while scores of others have been nabbed for possession of drugs, attempted murder, and robbery.
“We do not tolerate crime within JMPD. That’s why we have internal affairs that deal with crimes committed by our officers. We have dismissed eight officers between January and June 2022 for alleged crime and corruption,” said Kgaswane.
“We are also happy with the success of by-law enforcement and the cleaning of the inner city. While their purpose is to prevent crime, JMPD officers are also becoming victims of deadly deeds. The City has lost an on-duty JMPD officer on a highway, and three weeks ago another officer was shot dead in Hillbrow,” Cllr Tembe reported.
He said the JMPD will now release monthly performance statistics to share progress on crime-fighting initiatives with the public.
“We have decided as a department that every month we are going to tell the community and report to them what we are doing,” said Cllr Tembe.
Written by Dakalo Ramudidibi and Bongiwe Radebe
18.8.2022