Durban — KwaZulu-Natal Premier Nomusa Dube-Ncube has applauded the law enforcement authorities for a job well done during the festive season, which resulted in the arrest of more than 5 000 for different law transgressions.
She was speaking while conducting a blitz on taverns in and around the Inanda, Ntuzuma and KwaMashu (INK) areas in an effort to combat and curb cases of gender-based violence in the province.
Dube-Ncube said the focus was on INK areas due to a lot of violent crimes being reported in these areas.
"Crimes such as rape and violent contact crimes are reported in taverns, especially in those taverns that are illegal. Such places do not have the requisite equipment, like panic buttons and others to report crime to the nearest police stations," said Dube-Ncube.
She said the department conducted the blitz to monitor that those liquor outlets with licences adhere to regulations such as not selling alcohol to minors and operating beyond stipulated hours.
"It concerns us as a government that most cases of gender-based violence occur in liquor outlets, especially unlicensed ones and those that do not adhere to licences regulations.
“We also conducted the raids because we received numerous complaints from the community about the intolerable levels of noise emanating from these areas, especially during late night hours. We urge tavern owners to be considerate to communities among which they operate, by reducing the levels of noise and operating within stipulated trading hours,” said Dube-Ncube.
She further saluted the “sterling“ work and dedication of the police who worked around the clock during the festive season to ensure that citizens and visitors to the province were safe and secure.
“We applaud the work of the law-enforcement officers which resulted in the arrest of more than 5 000 people during the Festive Safety Campaign which was launched in November. Their work is highly commendable," Dube-Ncube said.
She added that the Festive Safety Campaign will continue as well as the unannounced raids on taverns until such time that levels of violence against women and children subside.
Daily News