Mkhwanazi addresses crime action-plan with business leaders

THE issues of homelessness in the eThekwini Municipality, the spike in truck hijackings, and the doings of brazen construction mafias, were thrust into the spotlight during a high-level meeting between provincial police commissioner Lieutenant-general Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi and some prominent KwaZulu-Natal business leaders. 

The rise of the kidnapping of business people in return for hefty ransoms, which in many instances ran into millions of rands, was also cited as a thorny issue by the business folk who gathered at a venue on Kikembe Drive, uMhlanga, yesterday.

The deterioration of the Albert Park in the Durban CBD, which is just a stone’s throw from Durban harbour, being hijacked by whoonga addicts, remained another major concern for Mkhwanazi. 

Said Mkhwanazi: “Albert Park is no longer the Albert Park we knew. Even near the market (Warwick Avenue), people find spaces underneath bridges and sleep anywhere and that seems to be increasing.”

“Homeless people in the city of eThekwini remain a problem for us. But I know that the mayor (Cyril Xaba) has made a commitment in terms of trying to relocate the people that flood our streets in eThekwini, so that we can create a safer environment,” said Mkhwanazi. 

In February, residents, business leaders, and members of the Metro Police joined hands during a clean-up operation of the historical Albert Park in Durban, which has repeatedly found itself in the clutches of neglect and the growing whoonga crisis.

Mkhwanazi said the provincial government had engaged with the district police leadership to tackle the scourge of homelessness in the city. 

“The whole idea is to ensure that we restore eThekwini's reputation as a tourist attraction, as it was previously. From our side, as law enforcement, working together with the Metro Police, we try to improve our policing in the CBD as well as the Ilembe District, where we are focusing the majority on tourism to make sure that the people who are coming to our cities feel safe at all times,” he said. 

Mkhwanazi said yesterday's meeting was aimed at updating businesses about the progress the men in blue have made in tackling crime in the province. 

“Bad media publicity paints the province in a negative picture. Investors, who want to invest in this province would  then fear that the state of policing is not stable. The second part of the meeting was to give a progress report regarding the cases that are being investigated by police,” remarked Mkhwanazi.

Despite the limited resources, Mkhwanazi said the policing strategy in the province was yielding positive results, highlighting that several people have been convicted for their criminal roles in, among other crimes, the hijacking of trucks. 

“That is why we are reaching out to you as business people today to say,  please support where you can because we cannot cover everything on our own,” said Mkhwanazi.

The CEO of the Durban Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Palesa Phili, lauded Mkhwanazi for his crime-fighting measures. 

“We appreciate the strong partnership that we have with you as the SAPS here in the province. Please keep doing the good work that you’re doing. We are happy to see that business crime statistics are down in general,” said Phili. 

Phili urged the provincial top cop to convene more meetings with business in future, where crime-busting plans would be discussed and implemented. 

“We would appreciate it if you call such meetings at least twice a year. What you shared today was valuable,” added Phili.

Additionally, Phili urged those business that could donate containers to the police to do so, as it would be used as satellite police stations in crime-riddled areas.

Andrzej Kiepiela, the coordinator of the KwaZulu-Natal Growth Coalition, said the joint efforts with Mkhwanazi to curb the cases of extortions, allegedly by controversial business forums, had paid off.

“Seven to eight years ago, we used to have reports of at least 50 to 60 cases of mafias that were posing as forums, but ever since the commissioner arrived, we have turned that around. We have created a rapid response system. Last year, we had only six such cases,” said Kiepiela.

Udeen Singh, chairperson of the Durban Chamber of Commerce and Industry Safety and Security, urged the provincial commissioner to fast-track the formulation of the anti-truck hijacking team. 

Among those present were Moses Tembe from the KZN Growth Coalition, Ebrahim Patel, chairperson of the Minara Trade and Investment Committee and Brian Mpono, CEO of Oceans Umhlanga Development. 

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