Johannesburg - The Experts Panel Report into the civil unrest in July last year painted a disturbing picture of the country’s security services and the structures that exist to co-ordinate work.
This was the admission of President Cyril Ramaphosa when he delivered the State of the Nation Address (Sona) which was held at the Cape Town City Hall on Thursday.
He said the report concludes that the government’s initial handling of the July 2021 events was inept, police operational planning was poor, there was poor co-ordination between the state security and intelligence services, and police were not always embedded in the communities they serve.
“The expert panel said that if the violence has exposed anything it was the poverty and inequality that is the root cause of the desperation of the people of South Africa.
“The expert panel found that the Cabinet must take overall responsibility for the events of July 2021. This is a responsibility that we acknowledge and accept.
“We will, as recommended by the panel, develop and drive a national response plan to address the weaknesses that the panel has identified. We will begin immediately by filling critical vacancies and addressing positions affected by suspensions in the State Security Agency and Crime Intelligence,” he said.
Ramaphosa said he would soon be announcing leadership changes in a number of security agencies to strengthen our security structures.
“The staffing of the public order policing unit of the South African Police Service will be brought to an appropriate level, with appropriate training courses in place.
“The ongoing damage to and theft of economic infrastructure has damaged confidence and severely constrained economic growth, investment and job creation.
“At the same time, we need to confront the criminal gangs that invade construction sites and other business places to extort money from companies,” Ramaphosa said.
He said that requires a focused and co-ordinated response.
“Government has therefore established specialised multi-disciplinary units to address economic sabotage, extortion at construction sites and vandalism of infrastructure.
“We will make resources available to recruit and train an additional 12 000 new police personnel to ensure that the SAPS urgently gets the capacity it needs.
“Another area of immediate attention will be the re-establishment of community policing forums to improve relations and co-ordination between local police and residents of the areas they serve.
“It is clear from the observations of the expert panel that we need to take a more inclusive approach to assessing the threats to our country’s security and determining the necessary responses,” he said.
Ramaphosa called on all South Africans through their various formations to participate in developing the country’s National Security Strategy.
“I will be approaching Parliament’s Presiding Officers to request that Parliament plays a key role in facilitating inclusive processes of consultation.
“The security services have been tasked by the National Security Council to urgently develop implementation plans that address the range of recommendations made by the expert panel.
“These measures will go a long way to address the serious concerns about the breakdown of law and order in society,” he said.
baldwin.ndaba@inl.co.za
Political Bureau