South Africa

GROUNDUP

Cosatu to strike in Cape Town over lack of action in tackling crime

Cosatu to strike in Cape Town over lack of action in tackling crime
Union leaders announced a strike on 4 August. From left, Michael Helu (Agricultural Food and Allied Democratic Workers Union provincial secretary), Motlatsi Tsubane (Cosatu provincial chair), Malvern de Bruyn (Cosatu provincial secretary), Ernest Theron (South African Communist Party provincial treasurer), Vicky Sampson (president of the Trade Union for Musicians of South Africa), and Jaco van Heerden (Democratic Nursing Organisation of South Africa). (Photo: Marecia Damons)

Thousands of union members will march in Cape Town in August to protest against the government’s ‘lacklustre’ approach to spiralling crime.

Unions affiliated to the Confederation of SA Trade Unions (Cosatu) are calling members out on strike on 4 August in protest against the government’s “lacklustre” approach to rising crime rates in Cape Town.

Cosatu provincial secretary Malvern de Bruyn told a briefing on Wednesday that all spheres of government “don’t respect ordinary people”. He said they “undermine the safety of the poor in the province”.

De Bruyn said the federation is demanding that the national ANC and provincial DA governments end gang violence, conduct regular police patrols in industrial areas, improve safety at railway stations and allow communities to evaluate their police stations.

He said Cosatu had applied for 3,000 people to participate in the protected strike. “We plan to bring the economy to a standstill so that the government can see how angry workers are.”

The federation plans to deliver a list of demands to the City of Cape Town’s law enforcement department, the Western Cape premier and the national police minister.

Michael Helu, provincial secretary of the Agricultural Food and Allied Democratic Workers Union, said communities with higher crime rates needed adequate police resources.

“Khayelitsha has more than a million residents. Constantia has far fewer people, but has an adequate number of police and private security,” he said.

“If you are poor, you don’t need security, and if you have money or live in a certain area, then you need security. That is how government treats our citizens,” said Helu.

Police spokesperson Colonel Andrè Traut denied that police resources in the Western Cape are unequally distributed in favour of affluent areas.

“SAPS resources are allocated to police stations according to crime patterns, and in this province we have identified the top 10 crime-affected stations, as well as the top 30 stations where serious and violent crimes required additional policing. These stations are prioritised when resources are allocated,” Traut told GroundUp.

The SAPS applied “careful consideration” when allocating resources, and reported crime was “the major factor” when numbers were determined. The demographics of a population and their economic position did not influence this process.

“Industrial areas are policed on the same principle, and where crime is more prevalent, more resources will be deployed,” said Traut. DM

This article was updated to include police comment at 10.30am on 21 July 2022. 

First published by GroundUp.

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