Cape Town - Premier Alan Winde has used his fifth State of the Province Address (Sopa) to announce the provincial government would be funding lifestyle audits of all the police top brass in the Western Cape with regard to corruption and gang associations.
Winde based his remarks on a Western Cape High Court judgment delivered in October in which Judge Daniel Thulare said there was evidence that gang members had infiltrated the top management structures of the SAPS in the province.
Winde, who was speaking about the process of SAPS devolution in the province, said: “Not only is the SAPS in the Western Cape woefully under-resourced, but there is also disturbing evidence that some in the service have been captured by gangs.
“The judgment confirmed what many of us have long suspected – gangsters have infiltrated the police service in the Western Cape. The very people tasked with keeping our residents safe are themselves part of the problem.”
After the judgment, Winde asked the Provincial Police Ombud Oswald Reddy to launch an investigation into whether there was enough evidence and concern to warrant establishing a commission of inquiry to probe serious allegations of links between gangs and members of the police, among them senior officials.
On Thursday, he said Reddy’s report had been finalised, and as well as the lifestyle audits he was establishing a panel of eminent people, from South Africa and other countries, including some in South America, to make specific recommendations on the matter.
Reacting to the safety portion of Winde’s speech, ACDP MPL Ferlon Christians, himself a former law enforcement officer, said: “I welcome the lifestyle audits that are going to be done by the province. When it comes to senior police officials, we must get the rot out of the police, so we can have safer communities.”
Winde’s wide-ranging address also touched on the energy crisis, and he said he had asked the provincial treasury to allocate more than R1 billion to respond to the crisis in the upcoming three-year budget period.
He said the funds would go towards responding to the short-term impact of load shedding now on government services, securing diesel to keep essential public services running during load shedding, and on helping buffer schools from load shedding.
The money would also be used for providing poorer households with “power packs” that help reduce the impact of load shedding on daily tasks, and assisting SMMEs in accessing and implementing alternative energy options.
Winde encouraged the legislature to set up an ad hoc oversight committee for the energy crisis similar to the Covid-19 ad hoc committee, and in relation to this said the province’s weekly digicons would make a comeback next week.
He also mentioned the value of the construction industry in the province.
Reacting to this, Western Cape Property Development Forum chairperson Deon van Zyl said: “What is exciting is the spread of investment across the province. Even though the bulk of the population resides in Cape Town, there is appreciation that provincial capital expenditure is an economic catalyst to be shared by all throughout the province.”
It was the first sitting of the legislature and first State of the Province address presided over by Speaker Daylin Mitchell.
He said: “I think it was a successful sitting and, despite a number of interjections and points of order, the premier was able to deliver his speech to the House and the people of the province. I am looking forward to tomorrow’s sitting, during which political parties will have the opportunity to debate the Sopa.”
mwangi.githahu@inl.co.za