In attendance:
Social Cabinet Committee
Minister Pierré Uys: Chairperson of the Social Cluster
Minister Mqulwana: Social Development
Minister Ramatlakane: Community Safety
Minister Dugmore: Education
The Premier's State of the Province Address identified for Cabinet and Government ten programmes. The ten programmes would deliver on the ground and address the needs of the community. One from the ten programmes was the issues on Gangs and Drugs and related issues referred to by Premier. All of this was focused to give effect to our Growth and Development Strategy. The social sector took this one programme: the social transformation programme to start putting strategic life into that. 15 areas were identified as the most vulnerable areas in the Western Cape. Of the 15 areas, 12 areas were identified in the metropolitan area, and three areas in the non-metropolitan areas.
The approach was to get a network going between government and the community, to build social capital and bridging capital between government and the community, not to dictate to the community but to work with the community in partnership. We also wanted to create dialogue between government and community to open up the channels of communication, and non-governmental structures. What we have seen is a community. But not always an organised community with a structure to interact with. What was lacking was a community structure that government could interact with and communicate with. We have made major progress in this regard.
The next step was the Provincial Imbizo that took place. The Provincial Cabinet went out to the different communities. The Premier made himself fully available to interact with the communities to understand community grievances in order for government to respond more appropriately to this.
Another important step was the visit of the President to the Province and the interaction of the President with communities.
Another component was the endorsement processes by provincial cabinet, the President, communities and the top management team. We have had one engagement per community thus far. We are focussing on strategic areas in the 15 areas:
- Reducing vulnerability of communities
- Developing elements of participatory democracy
- Infrastructure development
- Community citizenship capacity building
Since the announcement in February of the 15 areas programme that we started implementing three months ago, we are now at a point where we can measure what has been done so far:
We have been able to close 56 outlets where drugs have been sold. There have been 1 044 search and seizure operations in three months. Supply in these areas have been largely of the Tik factories. Police have been able to close 5 Tik factories in areas such as Sea Point, Claremont and Parow. 2 096 arrests that have been made. Of that amount, 316 or 13% have been those who own the outlets. 330 or 14% of that amount have been those who have sold drugs. 1 766 or 73% have been those caught in possession of drugs. Enormous amounts of drugs have been seized.
For the whole of last year 8 321 grams of drugs. For three months of this year, 3 442 grams of drugs have been confiscated in the first quarter. We are already at 41% compared to last years' figures. 260 763 grams of dagga have been seized. 484 grams of mandrax tablets have seized in the last three months alone out of the 15 areas. Last year as a whole, the police seized 481 pieces of ecstasy tablets, while in the last three months 803 grams have been confiscated, we have already doubled the number. 305 heroin tablets have been seized over the last three months, compared to 403 for the whole of last year. 72 high flyers have been arrested in the 15 areas.
In terms of police investment, a restructuring process of deploying the best and most experienced police officers at various station, especially those that have been identified as areas where the highest contact crimes take place in the 15 areas. Deploying officials from areas and deploying them to the most critical stations. In these stations directors have hence been deployed to be Station Commissioners. In some of these stations Senior Superintendents have been deployed to lead police on the ground.
Strategy of Operations:
- Vehicles
- visible policing
- foot beat or foot patrol.
These processes have also been driven by intelligence information. The second issue is that we must be driven by intelligence and communities have been very corporative, providing valuable information. Thirdly, every weekend there are operations taking place. Operations take place every week in the 15 areas, shebeens that are used as a front for drugs.
In our operations every weekend we have arrested high flyers including 9 foreign nationals who have been arrested. The policing link has been a critical component of our work in the 15 areas.
Funds and resources have been redirected to hotspots:
Social workers will be redirected. 21 posts are going to focus on these areas. In Athlone: 2 more, Paarl, Vredendal, Khayelitsha will receive more attention. We are also spending funds on the recruitment of auxiliary workers to assist social workers. Resources for 63 auxiliary workers have been put in place.
Substance abuse, including alcohol, is a major challenge with detrimental consequences for pregnant women in rural and metro areas. Tik affects our young people. We have allocated 14 million for rehab centres in the metro area. We also have other partners from the private sector who see this as a critical area.
26 local action drug committees have been set up. 1000 young people will be deployed in NGOs to look at substance abuse peers counsellor training. They will also be deployed at an ECD level, in order to empower children with knowledge from an early age.
The department will also extend ECD facilities in Delft and Phillipi. We have put aside 113 Grade R for 2008 at a cost of 15 000 initally. 265 families to benefit in Phillipi and 200 children in that. The primary responsibility of parenting resides with parents. We are therefore empowering communities in these areas, working with NGO's in terms of the protection of children in these areas. ECD projects such as food gardening programmes are being put in place. People with disabilities in informal settlements will also receive attention.
40 million has been allocated to establish rehabilitation centres. The first rehab station was opened by the President in Denovo.
Health: Detoxification: Opiate Detox rehabilitation centres. 137 patients have been treated so far. 105 patients have been treated in alcohol rehab units.
Access to services is a problem for our people, which is exacerbated by limited access to information. We are therefore developing material jointly with social development to be disseminated. Health Training for all health staff is also underway in Metro and non-Metro areas on how to manage substance abuse in our facilities, starting next week until September. At Saartjie Baartman we have placed a psychiatrist. We have had 250 calls with 126 users accessing the service.
109 schools in 15 areas: Every school had an alarm system but was not extended to all the classes. 55 of 109 schools now have an alarm system extended to entire school. All schools will be covered by the end of the year.
The issue of access control in 109 schools is a problem. Access controls through alarms at 50 of the 109 schools. We have installed security gates and barbed wire to improve access control, which will be extended to all schools over the next three months.
Bambananis dedicated training programme has been set up for diversity management, disaster control and anger management, including hard skills such as entrepreneurial skills. 76 police reservists that have worked with school safety volunteers in 109 schools.
25 Safety School Resource Officers have been recruited. By November 54 would have been recruited. We have initiated a CCTV pilot project to cover most vulnerable schools. A tender process in place, by November 30 schools would have been concluded.
Enquiries:
Shado Twala
Spokesperson
Office of the Premier of the Western Cape
Western Cape
Tel: 021 483 5642
Cell: 083 640 6771Fax: 021 483 5636
Email: stwala@pgwc.gov.za http://www.capegateway.gov.za
