In Lieu of the Letter from the President
Editor's Note: In view of the fact that President Thabo Mbeki is delivering the 2007 State of the Nation Address on the day we publish this edition of ANC TODAY, we do not carry the weekly 'Letter from the President' in this edition. However, in the light of the concerns that have been expressed recently that our movement is not serious about the fight against crime, we thought we should use this space to reproduce some of the comments we have made over the years on this important matter, convinced that all of them are relevant to what we must do as a nation, today and tomorrow, to defeat crime and criminal behaviour. Immediately below we present a small sample of the published policy positions of our movement on this issue, spanning the years 1991-2007.
"The spirit of community, of partnership and of hard work is required when dealing with problems of crime and corruption" - Nelson Mandela: 6 February 1998.
"POLICING THE TRANSITION: TRANSFORMING THE POLICE"
Discussion paper on policing by Fink Haysom: Commissioned by the Department of Information and Publicity, African National Congress, circa 1991/2.
"Every South African is entitled to live in safety, free from crime and violence. The first steps towards redressing the unacceptable levels of crime in our society, caused in essence by apartheid itself, must be the creation of social justice and the establishment of a democratic constitutional order in which, at last, all citizens will be able to respect the laws of the country and those who enforce the law.
"In addition South Africa desperately needs an effective police force, a force in which all its citizens can have the fullest confidence. This requires a break with the apartheid past which, in its exploitation of the police as a political instrument, created a militaristic, secretive, unaccountable, racist, and violent institution. A new South African police force can only be established on the basis of the...principles (that):
"The police must be an impartial, well-trained and competent professional service, and above all, the police must be accountable to the people whom they serve. Unless the police are rooted in and accountable to the communities in whose name they police, they will not enjoy the support of these communities. Without the support of the people no police force can perform its task of preventing and combating crime."
'READY TO GOVERN'
ANC policy guidelines for a democratic South Africa adopted at the National Conference, 28-31 May 1992.
"The ANC is committed to the creation of a single police service. The primary function of policing will be the prevention of crime and to guarantee the personal security of citizens and the free and peaceful exercise of their rights as defined in the constitution. The principles governing the new police service, which shall also be inculcated in their training, shall be the following:
"The police service shall respect the ideals of democracy, non-racialism, non-sexism, national unity and reconciliation and act in a non-discriminatory fashion. The police shall be non-partisan and no member of the service shall hold office in any political party; policing shall be based on community support and participation; police shall be accountable to society and the community it serves through its democratically elected institutions; there shall be a professional police code governing standards and suitability of membership to the service, and a code of conduct to which the police shall adhere..."
1994 ANC ELECTION MANIFESTO
"Our country needs peace. We need an end to the violence against communities and to the abuse of women and children. We must end the culture of violence created by apartheid. This hope and prayer of the overwhelming majority must be realised.
"As the organisation that represents the victims of apartheid we understand the difference between a government that intimidates, and one that cares. We all deserve to live in a safe environment. Together with communities, an ANC government will ensure that criminals are dealt with to the full extent of the law."
STATE OF THE NATION ADDRESS
President Nelson Mandela, 24 May 1994.
"The problem of politically motivated violence is still with us. We depend on our country's security forces to deal with this problem using all resources at their disposal. In this, and in their efforts to deal especially with criminal violence, they have our personal support and confidence.
"We have also directed that all relevant ministries should engage the structures set up in terms of the National Peace Accord so that these can be invigorated to pursue their noble mission in the context of the changed circumstances in our country.
"The Government will otherwise not spare any effort in ensuring that our security forces enjoy the standing they deserve of being accepted by all our people as the defenders of our sovereignty, our democratic system, the guarantors of a just peace within the country and the safety and security of all citizens and their property."
WHITE PAPER ON RECONSTRUCTION AND DEVELOPMENT
Government's strategy for fundamental transformation, September 1994.
"This programme and this people-driven process are closely bound up with peace and security for all. Promoting peace and security will involve all people. It will build on and expand the national drive for peace and combat the endemic violence faced by communities in South Africa, with special attention to the various forms of violence to which women are subjected. To begin the process of reconstruction and development, the Government will now establish security forces that reflect the national and gender character of our country. Such forces will be non-partisan, professional, and uphold the Constitution and respect human rights. They will assist our society in developing a different, demilitarised ethic. The judicial system will reflect society's racial and gender composition, and provide fairness and equality for all before the law. Peace and political stability are also central to the Government's efforts to create an enabling environment to encourage investment. The Government also will not tolerate the taking of hostages nor the wilful vandalisation or destruction of property. Decisive action will be taken to eradicate lawlessness, drug trafficking, gun running, crime and especially the abuse of women and children."
STATE OF THE NATION ADDRESS
President Nelson Mandela, 17 February 1995.
"All necessary steps will also be taken to ensure that the judicial system plays its proper role with regard to the important matter of reducing the levels of crime in our society. It must also help to address the legitimate concern of the public that we do not create the situation in which the people begin to feel that criminals and wrong-doers are being favoured while the interests of society are being ignored...
"I must also address the question of the attempt by some in our country to introduce anarchy into our society. I speak of those who engage in such totally unacceptable practices as the murder of police officers, the taking of hostages, riots, looting, the forcible occupation of public buildings, blocking of public highways, vandalisation of public and private property and so on.
"Some of those who have initiated and participated in such activities have misread freedom to mean license. They have misinterpreted popular participation to mean their ability to impose chaos on society. They have wrongly concluded that an elected government of the people is a government that is open to compulsion through acts of anarchy...
"In the same vein we must address the question of crime. The situation cannot be tolerated in which our country continues to be engulfed by the crime wave which includes murder, crimes against women and children, drug trafficking, armed robbery, fraud and theft.
"We must take the war to the criminals and no longer allow the situation in which we are mere sitting ducks for those in our society who, for whatever reason, are bent on engaging in criminal and anti-social activities."
SPEECH OF DEPUTY PRESIDENT THABO MBEKI
Debate on the Budget Vote of the Deputy President: National Assembly, 17 May 1996.
"It remains still for the great thinkers of our country, with the assistance of the ordinary masses of our people, to lay bare the extent of the widespread malaise of the corruption of public and private morality which infects the entirety of our society.
"This will enable us to reinforce the process of the renewal of our society, attending to those spheres of human existence which relate to matters that go beyond the very necessary and urgent improvement of the material conditions of life of the people, but are nevertheless as important, if we are to discharge our historic mission to create a humane society.
"What we refer to in this regard are very practical matters. Among them is the obvious disregard for the value of human life in our society, which leads to the unacceptably high incidence of the crimes of murder and culpable homicide, resulting from criminal, political and domestic violence.
"When the stories are now told of how murder, carried out by the same organs of state that had the responsibility to guarantee the safety and security of the citizen, was part of deliberate state policy, it may not be so difficult to understand how the corrupt practice began to infect the whole of society.
"To this day, our law enforcement agencies have to devote considerable human and material resources to flush out organised murder squads that were set up as a deliberate act of state policy to defend the then status quo."
SPEECH OF DEPUTY PRESIDENT THABO MBEKI
Debate on Budget Vote no 2: National Assembly, 10 June 1997.
"The persistent propagation of the notion that all we require to deal with the problem of crime is merely more police officers and strengthening of the criminal justice system as a whole, critical though these matters are, is not only a fig leaf to hide the reality of a deadly inheritance, but also constitutes an abdication of a responsibility (by our society as a whole), without whose discharge the cesspool which feeds all criminal behaviour will remain and continue to spawn its bitter fruit."
STATE OF THE NATION ADDRESS
President Nelson Mandela, 6 February 1998.
"This spirit of community, of partnership and of hard work is required when dealing with problems of crime and corruption.
"Again, in this area, the tendency often is to exaggerate and distort the real situation; to use half-truths and sensationalism to paint a picture of a situation out of control. It is understandable that unscrupulous politicians, media commentators and those who wish to question the legitimacy of the democratic process as such, will conjure up crises in their heads, where in reality there are no crises.
"The task of those interested in improving the country's quality of life is to examine the real situation in its complex forms, even if this may not please the prophets of doom...
"Among the elements which know how effective the security forces are becoming are the crime syndicates themselves. It will happen that from time to time, and not seldom during crucial political moments, they will engage in dramatic acts such as robbery of cash-in-transit, syndicate turf wars and prison escapes...
"To find a lasting solution to all these challenges requires a community spirit among all of us, a New Patriotism which is finding root within the populace. We must build our nation into a community of citizens who appreciate their civic duty as each one of us improves our well-being. We must be ready to give back to society part of what we gain from it.
"In this respect, the words of one eminent citizen who has actively joined the campaign against crime are worth repeating in this august Assembly:
"... this country, warts and all, has been good to me - it is unbelievable. It has fed me; it has clothed me; it has educated me; it has given me opportunities in the business world that were unthinkable when I was a kid in Brits. I think the very least I could do is put something back. And this is my kind of national service and I am enjoying it..."
STATE OF THE NATION ADDRESS
President Nelson Mandela, 5 February 1999.
"The statistics show that there has been a reduction or stabilisation in most serious crimes. Murder for instance has declined by 10% since 1994. But the response is made that figures are meaningless in the context of people's concrete experiences.
"A myriad of laws have been passed to narrow the space for criminals, the latest among these being legislation on crime syndicates as well as minimum sentences and conditions on the granting of bail. But the response is that not enough criminals are being arrested and the quality of investigation is poor.
"A detective academy has been set up, and the skills gathered here are starting to be felt in dealing with crime syndicates. And major steps have been taken to deploy police where they are needed most. But the response is, where are the results!
"All these responses arise from a failure to appreciate the fact that turning the tide against crime cannot be achieved overnight. There are also deliberate efforts to sensationalise and politicise this issue. But we are the first to acknowledge that the impatience and dissatisfaction among ordinary people are justified.
"We can and shall break out of this bog. There is hope."
STATEMENT OF DEPUTY PRESIDENT THABO MBEKI
15th Interpol African Regional Conference: Cape Town, 12 April 1999.
"Successful law enforcement must, in part, be based on generalised, public opposition to crime and criminals and therefore a willingness and readiness among the people to cooperate with and assist the law enforcement agencies in their work.
"For us, this has brought to the fore the challenge that faces especially the political leadership of our country. To create and entrench the climate hostile to crime, of which we have spoken, it is critical that this political leadership should occupy the front ranks in the sustained propagation of the anti-crime message and the encouragement of the masses of the people to participate in the work of ensuring greater safety and security for all citizens.
"Needless to say, for this message to have credibility and thus produce positive results, it is vitally important that the messengers must, themselves, have credibility.
"If I am, myself, involved in crime, corruptly misappropriating public resources for myself, my family and my friends, co-operating with criminals who may have outwardly respectable profiles, and otherwise show no respect for a law-governed society, clearly anything I say against crime will fall on deaf ears. More than this, what I do will serve as encouragement to the rest of the citizens themselves to follow the example of the leaders, to seek to enrich themselves by illegal means. In this situation, it becomes easy, and almost inevitable, for members of the criminal justice system themselves to participate in the commission of crime.
"What we are trying to suggest is that this matter, a sustained national offensive to create a climate hostile to the commission of crime, must, surely, be one of the matters we discuss at gatherings such as these, which bring together the most senior police officers of our Continent."
SPEECH AT THE INAUGURATION OF PRESIDENT THABO MBEKI
16 June 1999.
"Our days will remain forever haunted when frightening numbers of the women and children of our country fall victim to rape and other crimes of violence. Nor can there be peace of mind when the citizens of our country feel they have neither safety nor security because of the terrible deeds of criminals and their gangs."
STATE OF THE NATION ADDRESS
President Thabo Mbeki, 25 June 1999.
"I am privileged to announce that a special and adequately staffed and equipped investigation unit (the DSO/Scorpions) will be established urgently to deal with all national priority crimes, including police corruption. I have directed that the Ministers of Safety and Security, Defence, Intelligence, Justice, Home Affairs and Finance must finalise all outstanding matters which relate to the activation of this unit, within a fortnight." (The Scorpions unit was launched in Gugulethu, Cape Town by President Mbeki in September 1999.)
STATE OF THE NATION ADDRESS
President Thabo Mbeki, 8 February 2002.
"Last December, the South African Police Service released comprehensive statistics on the incidence of crime in our society and the trends that attach to the rates of various forms of crime.
"It is our fervent hope that Honourable Members and the whole of our society, including the media, will continue to apply their minds to the issues raised in that briefing, the better to appreciate the role that society as a whole needs to play in dealing with this scourge. Indeed, when impassioned calls were made for the release of statistics, we believe the aim was not to 'check' whether government is 'delivering', but to ensure that all of us lend a hand in the effort to combat and prevent crime.
"The simple fact that most of the crimes of assault and murder happen between Friday and Sunday, among people who know one another, and with many of them under the influence of alcohol or drugs, speaks to the critical importance of community organisation and systems of censure.
"Clearly, many of these crimes, as well as those related to rape, domestic violence and child abuse cannot be policed with any measure of success by the security agencies acting alone.
"Credit is due to the thousands of South Africans who have joined Community Police Forums and our Police Service as reservists. Together, if each one of us lends a hand we can do much better. During the month of February, communities and their organisations have mobilised to enlist more volunteers. Sustained throughout the year, and with each one making a contribution, we can surpass the 30-thousand target set by the Police Service."
ADDRESS BY PRESIDENT MBEKI
Opening ceremony of the 16 Days of Activism campaign: Motherwell, 25 November 2004.
"As communities we need to create widespread awareness of how complicity with crime and criminal behaviour promotes crime. We must hold a mirror to the face of our society and demonstrate the cost of sustaining the market for stolen goods; of protecting and harbouring criminals and of colluding with abusive attitudes towards women and children."
2006 STATE OF THE NATION ADDRESS
President Thabo Mbeki: Cape Town, 3 February 2006.
"The government will continue to focus on the critical challenge of further improving our criminal justice system. Among other things, we will focus on integrated law enforcement operations in priority areas, reducing the number of illegal firearms and ensuring better processing of applications for firearm licences, reducing drug trafficking and substance abuse, and implementing social crime prevention measures. We will further improve case-load management in our courts, building four additional correctional facilities, reduce the number of children in custody, and implement the recommendations of the Jali Commission."
STATEMENT OF THE ANC NATIONAL EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE
Occasion of the 95th anniversary of the ANC, 8 January 2007.
"In the decade before the democratic breakthrough of 1994, the devastating impact of apartheid social and economic policies and the use of the police services as instruments of repression gave rise to a dramatic growth in levels of crime and violence in our society.
"This scourge has continued to bedevil our young democracy. Though progress has been made in gradually reducing levels of most categories of serious crime, crime continues to impact severely on the quality of life of our people. Without decisive action to curb crime, it could undermine our efforts to ensure the country is able to realise its social and economic potential.
"As we have consistently said, our response to crime must be based on a clear understanding of the causes of crime and the various forms that it takes across society. Our response needs to be well-considered, effectively coordinated and comprehensive. It also needs to be sustainable and its progress measurable.
"To this end, we have worked since 1994 to transform the South African Police Service (SAPS) and other institutions of the criminal justice system to serve all our people more effectively and to work to safeguard their safety and security. We have increased the numbers of police personnel, improved systems of coordination and management, and improved the efficiency of our courts and prosecution services.
"Yet we have recognised from the birth of our democracy that these efforts will not succeed unless we make tangible progress in addressing those socio-economic conditions that feed crime and violence. We have recognised that the police service and government agencies cannot fight crime alone, and that it requires the involvement and active participation of all communities and all sections of society to meet this challenge.
"During the course of 2007, we need to make every possible effort decisively to tackle this challenge, drawing on the resources and capacity of all sectors of society in a united front against crime.
"As the ANC, we will therefore undertake an extensive mass campaign to mobilise communities to assume leadership in the struggle for peace, stability and safer places to live. This campaign will seek to strengthen partnerships between communities and the police services, and between the public and private sectors."
The African National Congress has throughout its existence considered the issue of the safety and security of our citizens as one of the central objectives of the national democratic revolution. This fundamental position has been sustained by all the ANC-led governments since 1994.
Towards sustained national action
Should the need arise, ANC TODAY and other ANC publications are ready to publish a series of articles to explain in detail what has been done to answer the question of what the democratic order has done since 1994 towards the achievement of the vitally important objective of safety and security for all our citizens. In this regard we continue to accept that words are not enough.
Without claiming any exceptional and privileged position for ourselves as South Africans, as though unlike all other nations we can wipe out all crime, once and for all, we want to reaffirm that our movement remains convinced that one criminal act in our country is one too many.
The fact of the matter, which some in our society may seek to deny, is that the overwhelming majority of the constituency we represent has been, for many decades, at least, the worst victims of crime in our country. There is not a single member of the leadership of the ANC who has not been exposed personally to crime.
The notions that the ANC could ever be insensitive to the feelings and the fate of the victims of crime, and that members of the ANC cannot be trusted effectively to lead our law enforcement and safety and security agencies, are very strange and illogical in the extreme.
The naked truth is that we, and the majority we represent, are the ones in our country who know best what it means when a government and the constituency it represents adopt positions that are entirely and unequivocally insensitive to the feelings and the fate of the victims of crime, based on the stubborn and persistent racist insult, whether openly stated or not, that as black people, we are victims of our own amorality and barbarity. Thus does the victim get blamed for his or her suffering, as women are frequently blamed to have encouraged their criminal assailants to rape them!
It cannot be that the ANC, of all organised formations in our country, for some inexplicable reason, becomes the weakest link, or even merely a weak link, in the unrelenting fight against crime.
Having said all this, we fully recognise the fact that what is required is concerted, all-round and sustained national action against crime. In this regard, we will always respect and act according to the statement made by Nelson Mandela in 1998, that the spirit of community, of partnership and of hard work is required when dealing with problems of crime and corruption.
We sincerely hope and pray that all South Africans, regardless of race, colour, class, gender, age and place of residence will respond to the call Nelson Mandela made many years ago, for concerted national action against crime. As in the struggle against poverty, it will not help anybody, including those who position themselves as accusers, merely to engage in the extremely easy exercise of pointing fingers at others.
It is not mutual recrimination that will keep the criminals at bay. In reality, the criminals will rejoice if we become involved in a divisive and paralysing debate focused on apportioning blame about any actual or perceived failure to act against crime. As a matter of the greatest urgency, we need a spirit of community, of partnership and of hard work when dealing with problems of crime and corruption. The ANC will never abandon its obligations in this regard. |
