ADDRESS BY THE NATIONAL COMMISIONER OF THE SOUTH AFRICAN POLICE SERVICE, GENERAL MANGWASHI VICTORIA PHIYEGA, AT THE PRESS CONFERENCE HELD AT TSHWANE SAPS ACADEMY, June 14 2012
Minister of Police, The Honourable Mr. Nathi Mthethwa;
Deputy Minister of Police, The Honourable, Makhotso Sotyu;
LT General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi;
Members of the media
Midday greetings to all of you gathered here today. I am addressing this media conference in less than 48 hours since the announcement of my appointment by the President of the Republic of South Africa his Excellency, Mr Jacob Zuma. Again, I must reiterate the fact that I am indeed humbled by the appointment, as the first female National Commissioner of the South African Police Service in the 99 years of policing history of this country. A testimony of President Zuma's commitment to drive transformational leadership.
Equally I acknowledge the huge and overwhelming task ahead as I join a team of great men and women in blue. Alone we can do so little, together we can do so much, this is however, a responsibility we should take with both hands soldiering on in delivering on the mandate South Africans have entrusted upon us. In order to succeed, I acknowledge that it is necessary to consult, listen and learn. This should be complimented by leading and acting decisively.
Ladies and gentlemen, our mandate is that of fighting crime, hence we will work tirelessly towards realizing this goal with all the resources, skills and expertise to ensure that the people of South Africa are and feel safe. If we are able to prevent, investigate and combat crime, we will definitely make life difficult for the ruthless criminals out there.
I subscribe to the school of thought of ISE, meaning, Integrity, Service to others before self and Excellence. I strongly believe in the principal of "more" Mphiri o tee ga o lle.
Members of the media, today I met with my political principals and tomorrow I will be meeting with the top management of the SAPS. It is on that score that I will not go into detail with strategies going forward at this media conference save to say, we will work towards achieving targets and the priorities set for this financial year, in particular the Ministers 10 point plan, which focuses on these key areas:
- Transformation of the SAPS into a professional police service that inspires confidence
- Ensuring smarter Policing
- Effective building of SAPS Infrastructure
- Clear focus on Command and Control
- Training of police officials
- Recruitment
- Crime Intelligence in the police and improvements in the field of Detective Services
- Implementation of priority Areas of Violence Against Women and Children
- Implementation of Rural Safety Strategy and lastly
- Implementation of Policy areas
The year 2012 has been declared as the year of detectives, thus the planning and implementation plans of the SAPS is centred around the improvement of that environment, starting from personnel development and proper resourcing. Excellent detective work can only result to excellent convictions and reduction in crime.
The re-establishment of the FCS units was a remarkable step towards a promising future for our country. Crimes against women and children are a priority for the SAPS and government. Communities should rally behind us in eradicating these types of crimes as it can only be through working together that more can be done to ensure success.
As the management we will be engaging in a programme that will vigorously deal with rape and any other related cases. Equally the fight against general crime will be intensified; the record of reducing crime will be improved to greater heights by the dignified blue. We are indeed together on this one, hence my call to communities to take part towards achieving our fundamental mandate of fighting crime and all its manifestations.
Ladies and gentlemen, our main focus is informed by the strategic direction and priorities of the SAPS centred around the seven outputs of outcome 3 of the JCPS service delivery agreement, which are:
Reducing the overall levels of serious crime in particular contact crimes,
- A more effective Criminal Justice System,
- Reduce corruption
- Perceptions of crime among the population managed and improved,
- South Africa's borders effectively safely guarded and secured,
- Integrity of identity and status of citizens and residents secured,
- Cyber crime combated.
Ladies and gentlemen, we will be working towards a paradigm shift in the police. The training and development of our members will remain a priority; indeed human capital investment adds value which leads to success. Strengthening the administrative leg will also be top on the agenda, including improving internal and external relations in the interest of service delivery, and taking decisive position on corruption.
Over the next 3 months, the focus will be on engaging with internal and external stakeholders, learning and seeking inputs and counsel, in order to ensure that we maintain the momentum already achieved in the fight against crime. In addition, we will be looking at how we can do better in instituting effective financial controls and general management of the resources, including improving working conditions for our members. Ultimately, improve the overall image of the police through effective public engagements.
I am looking forward to wearing the blue uniform, taking my oath and getting involved with the business of policing. Ladies and gentlemen, allow me to convey my heartfelt appreciation to the Minister and the Deputy Minister of Police for the warm welcome to the safety and security fraternity.
My humble appreciation to the SAPS management, organised labour and fellow South Africans for publicly pledging their support towards my appointment. Any wonderful experience comes with a challenge. It will be challenging but wonderful journey.
I believe from challenges we learn, from challenges we discover ourselves and from this we discover talents that determine things going forward.
I thank you
Issued by the SAPS, June 14 2012
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