Acting Police Minister Professor Firoz Cachalia has unveiled a new government strategy to address rising crime in key hotspot provinces, including the Western Cape, Eastern Cape, KwaZulu-Natal, and Gauteng.
Cachalia spoke at the Johannesburg Martindale JMPD headquarters after meeting with community leaders as part of ongoing consultations to strengthen policing and public safety.
This follows the shootings that left eight people dead in Westbury and Reiger Park respectively.
Two were shot and killed in October in Westbury while five others were seriously injured and rushed to hospital and few weeks later six were killed in Reiger Park and three injured.
He said additional police resources would be deployed to crime-ridden areas to curb violent incidents and improve response times.
“We have to make sure that strategy is implemented in all four provinces where gang violence is growing — Gauteng, the Eastern Cape, KwaZulu-Natal, and the Western Cape,” Cachalia said.
The minister also revealed that the South African Revenue Service (SARS) would be involved to help tackle financial crimes and illicit trade linked to organised crime networks.
“We also had important talks with SARS Commissioner Edward Kieswetter. He is bringing the capabilities of revenue services into this effort,” Cachalia said, noting that big businesses sometimes fuel the drug trade by hiring top lawyers and accountants.
He added that many of these operations originate overseas, often employing teenagers on the ground to carry out illegal activities.
Later, Cachalia visited residents in Reiger Park as part of his provincial safety engagement tour.
This is where six people were killed and three injured during a drive by shooting on 1 November also linked to gang related clashes.
