SONA: State of the Nation Address 2024
Leave No One Behind

State of the Nation  2024

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COMBAT CRIME | WITHIN THE NEXT 10 YEARS

Violent crime will be halved

Why this?

Violent crime severely impacts on the quality of life of all South Africans, particularly the poor. It discourages investment and tourism.

To reach this goal, we will:

  • Ensure that law enforcement officers are adequately trained to investigate cases to improve success rates.
  • Strengthen resourcing, joint planning and budgeting across the criminal justice system, including strengthening capacity in areas of investigations and prosecutions.
  • Increase police visibility in our communities by increasing the number of men and women in uniform.
  • Target drug syndicates through the implementation of the National Anti-Gang Strategy and the revised National Drug Master Plan.
  • Enact and enforce legislation to compel municipalities to regulate the location of taverns and liquor retailers away from schools and religious establishments.
  • Finalise and implement a national strategy against gender-based violence.

Combat Crime

The South Africa we want is a country where all people are safe and feel safe. Let us therefore work together to ensure that violent crime is at least halved over the next decade.

President Cyril Ramaphosa, SONA 2019

Police visibility

In order to increase police visibility in our communities, we must employ more police officers.

Earlier this year, The South African Police Service (SAPS) welcomed 5,000 new recruits into its ranks through its Basic Police Development Learning Programme (BPDL). We expect this number to grow to 7,000 per cycle over the next two intakes.

Gender-based violence

We are working with civil society organisations on strategies to end gender-based violence and femicide.

President Cyril Ramaphosa, SONA 2019

In March 2019, President Cyril Ramaphosa signed the Gender-Based Violence and Femicide (GBVF) Declaration, reflecting government’s commitment to implementing a comprehensive and effective prevention and response programme to end gender-based violence and femicide in our country.

/assets/crime.jpg Image credit: GCIS

Gender activists at the Presidential launch of the GBVF Declaration.

The declaration, which was one of the outcomes of the National Gender-Based Violence and Femicide Summit held in November 2018, was signed at the opening of the new Booysens Magistrate Court in Johannesburg. The court is the 84th Sexual Offences Court established since 2013.

In line with the GBVF Declaration, Government is now working towards the establishment of a multi-sectoral Gender-Based Violence and Femicide Council, as well as a National Strategic Plan that will guide all of us in our efforts to eradicate this national scourge.

Steps are also being taken to ensure the police and the court system are equipped and capacitated to effectively assist survivors of gender-based violence and sexual assault.

National Anti-Gang Strategy

We are stepping up the fight against drug syndicates through the implementation of the National Anti-Gang Strategy and the revised National Drug Master Plan.

President Cyril Ramaphosa, SONA 2019
/assets/saps.jpg Image credit: GCIS

Police on parade at the launch of the National Anti-Gang Unit in November 2018.

As part of government’s approach to curb gangsterism prevalent across the country, President Ramaphosa and Minister of Police General Bheki Cele formally launched the Anti-Gang Unit in Hanover Park, Cape Town, in November 2018. A fully fledged unit is operational in the Western Cape and task force teams operate in Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal. The SAPS will roll out the programme nationally by 2021.

Reply by President Cyril Ramaphosa to the debate on the State of the Nation Address