GCIS MEDIA BRIEFING
JUSTICE, CRIME PREVENTION & SECURITY CLUSTER
17 February 2003

Documents handed out
Presentation by the Minister of Safety and Security (see Appendix)

BRIEFING
The Minister of Safety and Security, Mr Charles Nqakula, spoke on behalf of the Justice and Crime Prevention Cluster [Justice, Safety & Security, Correctional Services, Intelligence]. Mr Nqakula read the presentation (see document) and made the following additional remarks:

The Safety and Security mandate stretches across the entire South African society and it is for this reason that the decision was taken to establish this cluster, so that the entire justice system could become involved. It will be ensured during 2003 that the decisions taken are implemented so that the entire justice system can reflect this. There is also a move away from a system of justice that is militarised or part and parcel of the armed forces, to one that is now civilian centralised. There is a move away from a penal system to one of rehabilitation. This is in keeping with a statement made by the President during his State of the Nation address on Friday that recognises the people as the greatest repository of information in apprehending criminals. Additional resources have thus also been received to increase the capacity of both those in the National Intelligence Agency (NIA) and those in the crime intelligence service.

There are huge challenges, including those posed by urban terrorism, and the trials of those responsible for the bomb blasts in Soweto will be finalised in March 2003. The Anti-Terrorism Bill is also currently before Parliament and public hearings will be hosted so that people can raise their concerns with this piece of legislation, so that it is ensured that what becomes law is acceptable to the people. The Financial Intelligence Centre Act is also an important piece of legislation, and implementation of this law will also be ensured during 2003.

The trauma centres for women and child abuse are also important, with regard to the Victim Empowerment Programme and Community Safety Centres.

The Department of Defence is also involved with safety and security in other African countries, such as Burundi, as part of the designers of NEPAD. This involvement is also important to assist the situations in those countries so as to avoid a large number of those citizens later seeking refuge in South Africa, as this would compound South Africa’s developmental programme at this point in time.

The guarding and securing of South Africa’s national key points is important, and necessary resources have to be made available to enable the relevant authorities to do their work. This includes the guarding of South Africa’s borders. This is a problem because there are many incidences of cross-border crimes, such as the current cases of stock theft across the Lesotho border.

The usage of weapons within South Africa is a problem, especially with regard to the proliferation of small firearms, as it is these firearms that are used to perpetrate murders. The Firearms Control Act will also be implemented during 2003, and the aim here is to really go after those in possession of illegal firearms.

The Department of Home Affairs is currently dealing with the new Electoral Bill that aims to regulate the upcoming general elections in 2004 and this cluster will play its part in registering as many people as possible, and will also be providing safety and security services during the election period. Assistance will also be given to the Department of Home Affairs to clean up the country’s population register. This is a complicated process, but the aim is to introduce the smart cards during 2003. The Department of Social Development is also involved in this cluster because it relates to the "crimes of need" perpetrated by those living in poverty, and a strategy is being devised to deal with this.

Questions and Answers
Q:) With regard to rural safety, clarity was sought both on the timeframes for the phasing out of the commandos and on what would replace them.

A:) Minister Nqakula replied that a new division will be established to deal both with the national key points and with VIP’s. These members will be responsible for border control and will replace the commandos. This is a phasing out process.

Q:) Does this imply that the commandos will be replaced with a full-time and not part-time force, and does this also mean that till then the policing people will also be responsible for providing border security? Are there sufficient resources to implement this?

Q:) Why was the decision taken to replace the commandos?

A:) Minister Nqakula replied that the commandos were established during a specific period of time in South Africa’s history and their mandate was, inter alia, to deal with the infiltration of guerillas into South Africa. They were thus to a large extent the first line of defence for the rural communities, especially the farms. It is because of this that the commandos were never accepted by the people as they ought to have been. They are being phased out and will be replaced but this does not mean that those members will now suddenly be out of a job, as this is not the only area in which restructuring has taken place. For example, the former murder and robbery squad within SAPS has now become the trauma and violent crimes unit, and the transition was a success.

With regard to the resources needed to implement this, this is precisely the reason for the decision to established this new division, so that additional personnel could be allocated to guard the national key points.

Q:) It has been stated that the commandos will be responsible for providing security along South Africa’s borders, but will the new unit also be responsible for providing farm security?

A:) Minister Nqakula replied that there is a rural safety plan that involves SAPS, and the new division mentioned also ensures that more resources are allocated to deal with the rural safety plan.

Q:) What do the commando generals have to say about their phasing out?

Q:) Minister Nqakula stated that these commandos will not lose their jobs. Does this mean that they will be absorbed into the new unit, or what will be the case?

A:) Minister Nqakula replied to these questions by stating that no challenges have been received from the commandos because none are violently opposed to the phasing out, as those commando structures will not lose their jobs.

Q:) With regard to the recent reports regarding the increase in incidents of violence in KwaZulu-Natal and that 50 of these were politically motivated in light of the upcoming elections, is this the case? If so, what are the plans to deal with this situation?

A:) Minister Nqakula responded that it has to be understood in context that there are other types of violence taking place in South Africa, such as the faction fighting occurring in that province. There is not the full-scale political upheaval that there was in past, but it is believed that the people understand the workings of South African democracy. This does not mean, however, that the occasional "bubbles" will not be experienced now again, but it is not as it is was before the 1994 election.

Minister Nqakula stated that he does not yet have the information on whether this violence in KwaZulu-Natal is politically influenced, but government is clearly concerned about vilence, whether it is politically motivated or not.

Q:) What is the impact of the current situation in Zimbabwe on security within the region, and to what extent does this impact the planning and day-to-day operations of this cluster?

A:) Minister Nqakula replied that the President himself has continued to address this matter publicly in various ways in interactions both with the government of Zimbabwe and with its opposition parties. One of the primary concerns there is with development, and it for this reason that South Africa has become involved. Intervention here is also important with regard to peace and development, and there is a South African development countries structure that consists of all the police chiefs in the region that do meet to discuss peace and stability. There is thus a good working relationship with them, and issues on the South African agenda are addressed via that forum.

With regard to a sudden influx of refugees, this will be dealt with accordingly should it occur. But this is not the case at the moment.

Q:) Clarity is sought on the background to the talks being held with the Israeli generals that impacts on this cluster, as well as the agenda for these talks.

A:) Minister Nqakula responded that these talks are part of the process initiated by the President aimed at arriving at solutions to the problems in the Middle-East. This decision follows the request by important people that South Africa plays this role, and these talks commenced on Friday 14 February and will be concluded today. During yesterday’s meeting input was invited and recevied from both sides involved in the military action of South Africa’s recent past, including members of the intelligence services of the time as well as Umkhonto we Sizwe. Their input was vital in esuring that the experiences of the past are part of the discource of the discussion.

Q:) Minister Nqakula is asked to expand on his statement in the presentation in the third paragraph under the heading "Intelligence and Counter Intelligence" that the "increasing threat of espionage will continue to be monitored closely".

A:) The Minister for Justice and Constitutional Development, Mr Penuell Maduna, replied that, with regard to foreign military assistance, the aim here is to identify those parties that are engaged in matters that conflict with South African law, and if they are found to be in violation of the law they will have cases brought against them and will have to appear before a court. This is as much as can be disclosed at this point.

Q:) International news reports have indicated that Al-Quaida has set up a cell in South Africa, and is using South Africa as a safe haven. Could government respond to this?

A:) Minister Nqakula responded that people who believe this to be the case have the responsibility to come forward and inform the authorities, because the South African government does not have this intelligence. Nobody has yet come forward with such information.

Q:) With regard to the Cricket World Cup, it has been reported that both SAPS and the intelligence agencies assited both the Kenya and Zimbabwe teams in preparation for the competition. Why have those teams decided not to play in the demarcated countries? Was it due to security concerns?

A:) Minister Nqakula replied that he has been maintaining that the parties involved here have to be honest and disclose the real reasons for their refusal to play in the demarcated countries, because he is sure that it has nothing to do with the safety and security of both the players. The plans put in place to ensure the safety and security of both the Kenya and Zimbabwe teams were devised jointly with the Department of Safety and Security. In fact, these security measures were based on those employed when hosting international events, and actually marks an improvement on the measures employed in the WSSD.

Minister Nqakula stated that he is sure that the players and spectators would have been secure, but he does not have the information on the reason for their decision not to play in those countries. The Department of Safety and Security even gave another briefing to the International Cricket Council (ICC) on the security measures even before it reached its final decision to deduct points from the offending teams. Both the players and officials were assured that they would be flown in to the stadium and would be flown back to South Africa immediately after the match, but their concerns remained.

Q:) Foreign jurisdictions have experienced huge problems with their corresponding Firearms Control legislation regarding budgetary overruns into the billions, and also with non compliance with the legislation. How would the South African government deal with such problems?

A:) Minister Nqakula responded that such infraction will be dealt with, whether it is non-compliance within SAPS or on the ground.

Q:) Minister Maduna is asked to comment on the current lack of maintenance investigators in the Western Cape, despite the promise by government a year ago to increase the amount.

A:) Minister Maduna replied that his Department has planned to investigate this matter further, and the Department of Justice and Constitutional Development openly admitted when the Act was passed that it had not done any study on the implications of the Act. The reason for this is that no provision was made in the budget for the appointment of the new staff members, because no investigators existed before in the Department of Justice and Constitutional Development . Yet this has been factored into the current phase of the MTEF to include these appointments. There will thus be parts of South Africa that do not yet have the full complement of these investigators, and in those regions SAPS members, messengers of the court and even sheriffs of the court have been tasked with this function.

Q:) The Sexual Offences Bill is currently with the Minister of Justice and Constitutional Development, and clarity is sought on when it will be tabled.

A:) Minister Maduna responded that it is true that the Draft Bill is currently before him, and it was submitted approximately 3-4 weeks ago by the SALC following government’s request that it investigate this issue. The Department of Justice and Constitutional Development is looking at this piece of legislation together with SAPS, and the Bill will be presented to Parliament "pretty soon".

Q:) The Report of the TRC has been finalised, and Minister Maduna asked to clarify when this report will be presented to him.

A:) Minister Maduna replied that he does not know when this Report was presented to the President. It was agreed, as part of the settlement out of court, that certain aspects would be looked at further. The whole report, consisting of the initial five volumes submitted to President Mandela in October 1998, the Codicil and the Addendums submitted by the IFP will be presented to the President as the final TRC report. It will then be tabled in the National Assembly for discussion. Minister Maduna stated that he is, however, not certain when this will happen.

Q:) The South African government stated last year that a decision will be taken on the legal mechanism for amnesty. What is the current status of this matter?

A:) Minister Maduna responded that the Department of Justice and Constitutional Development never promised this mechanism, because it is not thinking of one as yet. What the Department of Justice and Constitutional Development did say is that is has to be questioned whether people without amnesty should have it at all. This will have to be debated when the TRC Report itself is debated as part of the way forward.

Some have argued that so much has already been spent on at least two important cases even though the persons were eventually exonerated, and this matter has to be raised in the Parliamentary debates.

Q:) Is it possible to arrange a workshop to address the incidences of crime perpetrated against Portuguese shop owners, because they seem to consider themselves the target of ethnic attacks. Yet this is nonsense, because such crimes are experienced by people from various ethnic backgrounds. It appears that the actual cause of the problem is that the majority of these shopkeepers do not take the proper safety precautions. Furthermore, South Africa is not in fact the crime capital of the world, as any trip to Rio de Janeiro or Bogota would illustrate.

A:) Minister Nqakula replied that one session is held which involves interaction with crime reporters and others in the media, with the aim to freely talk about the service provided by the cluster, the problems facing it and its strengths. This is the only interaction talked about here. But there is also interaction with people on the ground to explain the role that they play to benefit of the South African people, yet here the focus does not fall on specific groups but instead covers various communities.

The Portuguese community is one with which interaction took place in 2002, and a very good relationship is enjoyed with it. The Jewish Board of Deputies met two weeks ago to discuss strengths and weaknesses.

It appears that it is the misrepresentation by the press that the crimes perpetrated against white farmers are politically motivated. Yet the government contends that it is not a matter of whether the farmer is white or black, as farm attacks are farm attacks alone. Furthermore, the media reports do not comment on the high quality of police work done which results in the high arrest rate with regard to these farm attacks, as the perpetrators are arrested within a very short time period after committing the crimes.

A progress report was available at the end of December 2002 that states that there are still problems confronting this cluster and, as these problems are addressed, all attempts will be made to complete the report by the end of 2003.

The Minister for Correctional Services, Mr Ben Skosana, added in response to this question and the question posed earlier regarding rural security that it is the view of rural economists and economists in general, with regard to the rural/urban imbalance, that trends in recent history have favoured the movement of resources to the urban centres at the expense of the rural masses. Government has tried to address this imbalance via its Integrated Sustainable Rural Development Programme (ISRDP).

The other point raised in the workshops is that other jurisdictions use the prison system to inform social spending policies, because they look at the inmate population, from those convicted of violent crimes to those involved with drug-related convictions, and investigate where these persons come from, the current state of those areas etc. This information is then used to decide how the funds from social spending are to be allocated.

Q:) How, when and to whom will the funds generated by the National Pledge Campaign be distributed?

A:) Ms Cheryl Gillwald, Deputy Minister of Justice and Constitutional Development, responded that many NGO’s were consulted in this process to acknowledge the role they play, and the work done by some 2 000 volunteers representing CBO’s was also recognised. It was decided that the sixteen day National Pledge Campaign would be used to raise funds for the NGO sector in an effort to at least acknowledge their efforts and their needs that have to be met. The target set for the campaign was initially R500 000, but it managed to raise a total way in excess of this amount.

It was felt that the Department of Justice and Constitutional Development should not dictate to whom funds should be allocated, but that the Foundation for Human Rights’ wonderful funding programme would be used instead. The NGO’s would then have to apply to them for funds and the allocation of the funds would then be fast tracked, so that the project could be kept sustainable. A grand total of more than R1,6m was raised by the campaign, and it will be conducted on an annual basis.

Q:) Is Minister Nqakula aware of the DP Report on the conditions of the child protection units in South Africa? If so, what are the plans to address the concern raised by it?

A:) Minister Nqakula replied that he needs to work on a response to this Report and will circulate it at a later date. The current ratio of SAPS officers to the population in South Africa is very high, and currently stands at 436:1. This is however better than the international average of 461:1. This means that if SAPS officials are not properly discharging their duties, South Africa would be overwhelmed by crime. Yet South Africa is not overwhelmed by crime.

If one wants to find mistakes, mistakes will be found. For example, if one were to purposefully set out to find mistakes with the media, they will be found. Yet it is not the role to focus on these negatives. There will never be a situation anywhere in the world where there is no crime at all, and the question which should instead be asked is whether government is currently able to deal with crime in South Africa. The answer to this is yes, it can.

With regard to the protection of children, this is an important concern, and the amount of cases being processed dealing with such matters indicates that government is doing its work. There will inevitably be problems because there are obstacles, such as the specific problematic police station, but it cannot be contended that this is the case throughout the country.

Q:) When will the matter of the probe into Jacob Zuma’s alleged bribe from Thompson’s be evaluated?

A:) Minister Maduna responded that he knows as much about this allegation as has been reported by the media, and he is therefore not aware whether there is a probe at all or, if there is, whether it has been concluded. It has to be remembered that Ministers do not deal with investigations as these matters should, and correctly so, be left to those with the necessary skills and expertise to properly deal with the matter.

Q:) It is indicated on the first page of the presentation that the murder rate has "decreased by almost 17%", but clarity is sought on the total number of murders reported, so that this figure can be placed in context.

A:) Minister Nqakula replied that he would return to this question.

Q:) How is South Africa faring in dealing with the most prevalent crimes, and what is the approach adopted to address these crimes? Do these measures include highly visible policing, for example?

A:) Minister Nqakula responded that the number of incidents of serious crimes have decreased and these incidences will continue to decrease, because of the deployment of sector policing. During 2003 the majority of these personnel will be completing their training course, and some are already being deployed.

Q:) A SANDF advertisement published indicated that it had assisted Mozambique in finding guns that were hidden during the struggles that took place in recent conflicts. A similar effort was to be initiated in 1994-1995 in South Africa, but did not materialise. Why has such a process not been implemented in South Africa to call on society to hand over firearms to SAPS? This could have been based on some incentive, whereas those firearms are now being used for adverse purposes.

A:) Minister Nqakula replied that it is true that the South African government assisted Mozambique in unearthing many weapons of war that were used during times of conflict in that country. A similar operation has been in place for four years, and many weapons have been found. In South Africa itself the government declared amnesty in 1996 for people in illegal possession of firearms, and they were requested to hand those firearms over to the relevant authorities. This initiative will be embarked upon once more.

Q:) There are South African companies that are in conflict with other countries in the region, and can it be clarified whether these companies extend beyond the diamond sector, which sectors are involved and how many companies there are.

A:) Minister Maduna responded that investigations are being conducted into this matter, and the interest government has goes beyond the diamond sector. The aim here is to impinge upon any rendering of assistance to people in conflict with South African legislation.

Q:) Human Rights groups have raised concerns with the Anti-Terrorism Bill and have argued that it infringes the private rights of individuals. On the local front concerns are raised with the similarity of the legislation to the laws of the past regime, especially with regard to its provisions relating to the detention without cause. Could government respond to this?

A:) Minister Maduna replied that there are two things that are useful to remember regarding detention without trial: firstly, Section 35 of the Constitution deals with this matter, and is supreme. Secondly, the former Terrorism Act 83 of 1967 and Internal Security Act 74 of 1982 included "preventative detention" provisions, which essentially allowed detention of individuals at random so as to extract information from them, even though there was never any intention to bring the individual before a court of law. In fact, Section 6 provided that the individual could be "detained until the detention served no further purpose", and provided further that no court of law would be competent to adjudicate over any of the actions taken in terms of Section 6. These provisions then essentially shifted the onus onto the accused, because s/he was presumed guilty until s/he proved his/her innocence.

None such provision or intention is incorporated in the Anti-Corruption Bill, but rest assured people will be detained for any violation of the law, even jaywalking. The law does require the State to produce the person in court within 48 hours, and this applies to the Anti-Terrorism Bill as well. The validity of the detention provisions in the Bill can be contested to ensure the individual is not detained at the pleasure of the executive or its agencies, so that no Minister can extend the detention period at the stroke of a pen. This will not be done.

Instead, the Anti-Terrorism Bill stipulates that the detained person has to be brought before a court of law before 48 hours have elapsed, and the State will then make an application to court motivating for the future detention of that person until the case against him/her is concluded. The individual can of course still apply for bail here, and the matter is thus left in the hands of the judge to decide. It is also important to remember that under the Bill the person is detained always with a view to prosecuting that person, and there is thus a commitment from government to never detain a person without a trial.

Q:) Minister Nqakula has stated that, with regard to farm security, the Department of Safety and Security is working with SAPS on the rural safety plan. Yet this plan is not functioning as it should because of the lack of SAPS personnel and resources in rural areas. How is the new division supposed to help here?

A:) Minister Nqakula responded that it is true that this does pose a problem but the rural safety plan does not only apply to SAPS, as it aims also to involve the community as part of the plan. This would therefore include those who wish to enlist as reservists.

Mr Joe Matthews, Deputy Minister of Safety and Security, added that there is a success rate of 94% in apprehending the persons responsible for perpetrating these farm attacks. The problem thus lies not with the inability to arrest these perpetrators very quickly and very often, but the real reason for the perpetuation of these attacks is now clear. The Department of Safety and Security is puzzled by this phenomenon, because very often these attacks are not even accompanied by acts of theft or robbery. At one stage it was believed that the perpetrators were actually after the firearms of the farmers, but in many cases theese firearms were not even stolen.

This is puzzling because there does not seem to be a reason for the occurrence of these crimes, and it cannot be due to a lack of resources because the Department of Safety and Security has the necessary resources to tackle this problem. Nor is it certain that a syndicate is behind these attacks.

Some could argue that the success rate in bringing these perpetrators to justice indicates that government is granting a disporportionate allocation of resources to this smal pocket of society because they are white South Africans. Yet the truth of the matter is that the decision was taken to devote significant resources to address farm attacks per se.

Q:) Are the authorities really on top of urban terror campaigns?

A:) Minister Maduna replied that they are on top of the situation. There are a number of people that are being looked for and they do have cases against them. It is expected that these cases would commence more or less in May 2003.

Q:) It has been reported that special amnesty might be granted for those involved in the KwaZulu-Natal conflict. Could the progress made here be explained?

A:) Minister Maduna responded that he has received representation from the KwaZulu-Natal ANC division in this regard before the convening of this media briefing, but this issue will be debated along with all the TRC-related matters, because these issues properly belong together. There will be various positions on this matter, but a common position will have to be adopted. Minister Maduna stated that he is not able to say anything more at this point in time.

Q:) It has also been reported that incidences of shootings in cells, police stations and courts have been occurring. Could government explain the steps planned to address this matter?

A:) Minister Maduna replied that measures are being put in place to beef up security at the courts, and the private security companies are being consulted in this regard. This matter is being addressed.

Q:) Was it appropriate for government to take the decision to expel members of the media from their offices in Parliament?

A:) Minister Maduna responded that this matter should be addressed to the relevant authority. He stated that he has received a briefing on the reasons for the decision taken and is satisfied with the outcome. The proper procedure was also followed.

Minister Skosana added that no briefing has to date been received from the press itself on this matter.

The media briefing was adjourned.

Appendix
PRESS BRIEFING BY MINISTER FOR SAFETY AND SECURITY

In 2000 the JCPS Cluster embarked on a ten-year programme to stabilise and reduce crime and build capacity in the Cluster Departments.

The Cluster strategy is being implemented in two phases. Phase one is aimed at stabilizing crime levels by 2003 while phase two is geared to bringing them to international levels by 2009. The second phase depends on mitigating the causes of crime, many of which fall outside the ambit of the Clusters responsibilities. Yet, continuous multilateral and integrated Cluster programmes are embarked upon to address these causes.

The 20 serious crime categories are in effect all stable or on the decrease. Notably the incidence of murder has already decreased by almost 17% since 1999, primarily because of concentrated actions by the Cluster on specific crime tendencies such as gang violence, taxi violence and various manifestations of intergroup violence.

To ensure an even further reduction in crime levels Crime Combating Units have been established and are responsible for medium risk operations and operations requiring high force levels. Stabilisation initiatives are underway in 45 priority areas with high levels of especially violent crime while special projects have been implemented to address murder and rape in a further 94 areas. As a result of cell phone robbery and theft which comprises as high as 50% of crimes such as other robbery, other theft, theft out of motor vehicles, etc, in certain areas of Gauteng a special project has been launched in Gauteng.

Social Crime Prevention serves as the main strategy to achieve normalisation in affected communities. The Crime Prevention Development Programme (CPDP) was conceptualised when the President identified 9 municipalities across the country, which needed urgent interventions to address crime, violence and poverty. A phased implementation process has been adopted which commenced in the identified priority areas in KwaZulu-Natal

Terrorism
The country and this cIuster in particular are committed to fight terrorism. For one, Crime Intelligence played a major role in the recent arrests and disruption of terrorist activities. We wish to appreciate the support we got from the public in helping to apprehend these terrorists.

South Africa is in the process of adopting a new Anti-Terrorism Bill, which was developed through a comprehensive process by the South African Law Commission. The Bill, will, amongst others, define terrorism in much more broader terms since it is a multi-pronged phenomenon that includes (but is not necessarily limited to) Right wing attacks Urban Terror and international terrorism. Bail for such suspects will be handled with extra care. The involvement of high profile individuals, including members of the SANDF,is being closely monitored. In fact, SANDF is about to complete an extensive logistical audit of armaments and related equipment.

Cabinet has approved the Bill for introduction on a priority basis.

Organised Crime
There is massive commitment to fight organized crime.

Co-operation shall be built with governments of origin of undocumented persons.

Measures will be put in place to bring under control illegal foreigners, poaching and smuggling. These activities cannot go unabated as they have economic implications for the country as well. Developmental programmes such as the ISRDS, Urban Renewal and Moral regeneration are being implemented to assist in this regard.

Intelligence and Counter Intelligence
In the pipeline is the development of Intelligence capacity, regulatory frameworks (such as the amendment of the Public Service Act to cover compulsory vetting of all government employees and service providers, and review of the Protection of Information Act of 1982) and infrastructure to improve South Africa's state of national security.

The vigilant public must be sincerely commended for coming forward with information and assistance to help deal with terrorists and sabotage activities.

The increasing threat of espionage will continue to be monitored closely.

The implementation of the Foreign Military Assistance Act of 1998 will be closely monitored too.

The government will develop its communication security programme (covering telephones, fax and e-mail) through implementation by the newly legislated Electronic Communications Security (Pty) Ltd (CQMSEC).

Support for government's peacekeeping initiatives via the Presidential Support Unit will be maintained with specific emphasis on Africa since our country's security, growth and stability are dependent on those of the rest of the Continent.

It should be noted that the South African Secret Services' (SASS) programme is geared towards achieving the objectives of NEPAD amongst other things.

Correctional Services
- Correction and rehabilitation of offenders will be at the centre of business in 2003. Already the Programme of Restorative Justice proved successful as prisoners came out to demonstrate to communities that they have been reformed by building schools in some parts of the country.

- Changes in the strategic plan and organizational structure are at an advanced stage internally.

- Rehabilitation will be coupled with retraining 34 000 staff in new, relevant techniques.

- The only two training colleges available will not cope. JCPS cluster member departments are, however, ready to negotiate the sharing of such facilities.

- The issue of the leadership core will be addressed through the recruitment of new leadership with competencies required to achieve these new strategic plans. Identification and recruitment of such capable senior managers will be conducted even amongst other government departments. The current restructuring process will include skills audit of all employees.

- Prison overcrowding threatens to impede humane incarceration and re-habilitation of prisoners amongst others. This has become a cluster challenge. The DCS, SAPS, Justice and Constitutional Development and the National Prosecuting Authority will take joint responsibility in managing the awaiting trial detainees. In addition, an integrated policy process will be embarked upon to pluck up identified policy gaps within the system.

Much as the work of the Jali Commission and the Special Investigative Unit, amongst others, is acknowledged and commended, DCS will develop its own investigative capacity to ensure the entrenchment of clean administration.

Department of Home Affairs
- Personnel capacity will be developed by means of filling of posts in order to enhance service delivery.

- Rooting out corruption is top of the agenda. An inter-departmental task team will be established to deal with this matter.

- There will be a joint JCPS cluster effort to assist in the re-writing of the National Population Register.

- Advanced technological mechanisms will be put in place to deal with border control operations as well as corruption.

- We will also look at preparation for the 2004 General Election and facilitate legislation to address relevant needs.

Investigations and Crime Intelligence
Technological advances in the past year in the fight against crime have resulted in remarkable achievements. The Integrated Ballistics Identification System (IBIS), which links firearms to crime scenes, was implemented and currently a hundred weapons per day are received for test firing and comparison against the open case database. The Laboratory Information Management System is presently being implemented at the Forensic Science Laboratory and will enable the Forensic Science Laboratory to manage its operations more effectively.

A Justice Crime Prevention Security Cluster Task Team has been established to coordinate the implementation of a multi-dimensional anti-drug strategy. This strategy forms part of the Drug Master Plan, which is being coordinated by the Central Drug Authority. Much of the work here is done in collaboration with other states in Africa.

The Automated Fingerprint Identification System (AFIS) has been fully operationalised at 35 Local Criminal Centres since 1 September 2002 and is currently dealing with the fingerprint backlog to produce previous conviction reports for court purposes. Automated fingerprint searches enable the police to identify criminals at a faster pace, therefore reducing the time awaiting trial prisoners spend in the cells before sentencing. Between April and June 2001 (Pre-AFIS implementation) the Criminal Record Centre could only produce 23 252 previous conviction reports within 40 days, whilst for the corresponding quarter in 2002 (Post-AFIS implementation) 77 660 reports have been produced within 40 days (234% more than the corresponding period in 2001). Since the implementation of AFIS the backlog in fingerprint searches has been reduced from 84 891 to 32 169 over a six-month period.

Reducing the impact of firearms on violent crimes.

Implementation of Firearm Free Zones
In order to give effect to Section 140 of the Firearm Control Act, 2000 a pilot project was launched to declare 27 schools in 5 provinces as Firearm Free Zones. The main objective of the pilot project is to develop a model for the implementation of Firearm Free Zones and to determine the roles and responsibilities of all stakeholders. Thus far, a total of 16 applications for declaration were received and were handed over to SAPS Legal Services for processing and promulgation in the Government Gazette.

Firearm Control System
The aim of the Firearm Control System (FCS) project is to provide the Department of Safety and Security with a mechanism to manage effectively the relevant business processes pertaining to all firearms and ammunition, from the time of manufacture/import through individual ownership, until such firearms and ammunition are either exported or

destroyed. The FCS is replacing the current Firearms Register System

An interim firearm control system has been developed and is being implemented to address the various sections of the Act, which will be implemented as from 2 April 2003.

V Destruction of redundant State-owned and confiscated firearms.
The destruction of redundant state-owned and confiscated firearms is a continuous process. During 2002 the SAPS destroyed 42 379 redundant firearms. The recovery of illegal firearms is supported by initiatives to trace the origin of firearms, by looking at the correlation between firearms lost and recovered and their usage for criminal activities. This initiative contributed to the seizure of 11 741 illegal firearms between April 2002 and September 2002.

We continue to provide services to Mozambique to destroy weapons of war and there is also much cooperation in regard to the control of drugs and the proliferation of small weapons.

Border Control
The Cluster Departments continue to work closely to improve border control and combat organized crime at ports of entry.

The Movement Control System (MCS), which was introduced in November 1998, is now fully computerised and installed at border posts and airports. The computerised system enhances policing to be more effective in tracing unwanted persons, goods, stolen vehicles and monitors the movements of suspect persons I vehicles at border posts and other ports of entry. The principal shareholder of the system is the Department of Home Affairs.

New technology at air, sea and land borders has been deployed. This includes baggage x-rny scanners, drug and explosive detection technology, walk through metal detectors, body scanners, new radio communication systems, and handheld scanning devices to read barcodes on vehicle licence discs and speed up the flow of vehicles, whilst enhancing the detection of stolen vehicles.

The implementation of technology at different ports and strengthened coordination between Departments, resulted in 2 680 arrests for stolen/hijacked vehicles, illegal firearms, drugs/narcotics, fraudulent documentation, marine products and counterfeit/contraband products. More than 5 000 illegal immigrants were arrested.

As part of improving safety and security in rural areas, commandos are to be discontinued to make room for better coordination of services previously provided by them.

Women and Children
Crimes against women and children remain one of the main priorities of the JCPS Cluster. The 16-day activism on non-violence against women and children got off well and turned out to be a huge success. We want to thank all those persons, including the many thousands of those within departments for undertaking the signing of a pledge, and in deed a commitment to respect and protect the rights of all women and children. A total of 580 295 signatures were collected during the National Pledge Campaign and an amount of R705 919 was raised to assist the cause of abused women and children. The Foundation for Human Rights pledges a further R 705 919 to NGOs assisting victims and survivors of violence.

The SAPS Family Violence, Child Protection and Sexual Offences Unit (FCS) received 18 737 cases (4031 enquiries and 14 706 dockets) for investigation during the past six months. A total of 52 life sentences were imposed in 1 013 cases of crimes against children (under the age of 18 years), and 6 life sentences in 234 cases of crimes against adults (18 years and older).

In March 2002 Cabinet approved the Strategic Framework for an interdepartmental Anti-rape strategy. The JCPS and Social Cluster Departments have jointly begun to implement the strategy.

Areas of good practice have been promoted ie, the creation of victim friendly facilities and provision of victim care kits at designated police stations; school call center projects earmarked for 2003; courts have been dedicated for the prosecution of sexual offences; and multidisciplinary training on evidence collection earmarked for 2003.

Provinces have been instructed to develop and implement provincial, area and station level action plans prioritising the 128 police stations areas where 50% of all incidents of rape are reported.

The Child Justice Bill, which aims to introduce an explicit focus on restorative justice in the way children in conflict with the law are treated and managed within the Integrated Justice System, is currently being proposed.

During the 2001/2 financial year the implementation of a victim empowerment programme and training on the Domestic Violence Act were introduced in the SAPS.

Capacity Building
The SAPS has developed in 2001 an Enlistment Programme for 2002 - 2005 (including replacements for natural attrition). Over the three year period provision is made for 40 560 personnel, including entry level constables and civilians, of which 28 560 is additional. In addition thereto, provision is made in 2005/2006 for the enlistment of 5 000 personnel. These increases in the number of personnel will allow the SAPS to roll out inter alia the sector policing strategy more intensively and therefore increase police visibility

A policy regarding the South African Reserve Police Service has been approved. The policy aims to improve community involvement and cooperation in policing, and to enhance the application of sector policing.

A concept of Sector Policing was developed and introduced to the relevant stakeholders at provincial level. The implementation of sector policing at the 50 priority - and 14 presidential stations is near completion.

The restructuring of 500 specialised investigation units into three (3) specialised components in the SAPS is well underway. This will allow for enhanced focus on organized, serious, violent and commercial crime. To date 288 individual specialized units were closed down.

A significant advantage of this approach is that trained detectives are being made available for strengthening investigations at police stations.

It is envisaged, however, that some units, such as those dealing with child protection and sexual offences, will retain some autonomy to deal with crimes that require their specialised skills, and an independent identity.

The protection of Very Important Persons has been increased with the establishment of a Protection and Security Services Division in the SAPS. In the last few months this Division has provided protection for 676 Very Important Persons at 32 major events (including the World Summit on Sustainable Development and as we speak the Cricket World Cup). This division is also responsible for guarding national key points.

The Independent Complaints Directorate (ICD), a civilian oversight body, continues to play an active role in minimizing deaths of persons in custody or as a result of police action. It continues to inculcate respect for human rights and contribute to the broader transformation of policing. To monitor the incidents of deaths in custody, the SAPS have put necessary systems in place. A decrease of 12,8% in such deaths has been noted (750 deaths in 1997/1998 decreased to 585 in 2001/2002).

Conclusion
The JCPS Cluster must be congratulated on their professional ability to ensure that South Africa was able to host the AU in July in Durban without a criminal incident. Again the members of the security fraternity ensured that safety and security at the WSSD in Johannesburg in August was impermeable. To date no serious incidents of crime and security breaches have been reported at the Cricket World Cup of 2003.

As the President highlighted in his State of the National address on Friday, our success in the sphere of the criminal justice system will depend on strengthening the partnerships of the letsema campaign, with communities volunteering to assist the security agencies in their work. Again, in this area, as in all others, conditions are ripe for us to forge a people's contract for a safer and better South Africa and a better life for all.

This will involve consolidating on other partnerships - like the efforts involving Business Against Crime and a recent development in Khayelitsha where business, education and community leaders got together to address crime issues. This Khayelitsha experience will be taken to other parts of the country in our fight against crime.