South African’s National Liberation Movement

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3rd

National Policy Conference

Reports

Report of the Commission on Peace and Stability

30 June 2007

Noting:

  1. That defeating crime is in the best interests of the National Democratic Revolution.
  2. That community policing is the best form of policing
  3. That many of the resolutions on Peace and Stability adopted at the 51st Conference and the 2005 National General Council on various issues are still relevant and;

Further noting;

  1. That the continuous implementation of those resolutions is an urgent priority

Therefore resolves:

  1. That implementation of all resolutions on peace and stability adopted at the 51st Conference be finalised.

SINGLE POLICE SERVICE

  1. the constitutional imperative that there be a Single Police Service under the command and control of the National Commissioner of the South African Police Service be implemented so that the municipal/metro police, and the Directorate Special Operations (Scorpions) be located within the South African Police Service.
  2. The DSO (Scorpions) be a special unit to deal with organised crime within the police.
  3. The relevant law be promulgated as a matter of urgency to give effect to the fore going resolution

COMMUNITY SAFETY FORUMS (CSFS)

Noting that:

  1. Community Safety Forums are established to conduct an oversight function in relation to the mandate of the SAPS.
  2. There is a strong need to support and strengthen the implementation of Community Safety Forums.
  3. Serious thought be applied concerning where to locate Community Safety Forums within the structures of government structures so as to ensure that they perform their functions adequately.

Therefore resolves:

  1. All necessary steps must be taken to speed up the establishment, management and funding of CSFs.
  2. To create a clear institutionalized structure for funding of CSF.
  3. Align all the structures of the justice cluster system, viz., police, justice, and correctional services to municipal boundaries and develop appropriate programs that address all issues of safety and security and justice.
  4. Peace and Stability Desks at provincial, regional, and branch level must make sure that CSF’s are established and function adequately.
  5. Noting that the location of police stations continues to follow patterns established under the apartheid system, this arrangement needs to be reviewed as part of the introduction of CSFs.
  6. School Safety and Tourism Safety must be located within the Safety and Security environment

CRIME PREVENTION AND MASS MOBILISATION

Noting that:

  1. Moral Regeneration is one of the vehicles to reduce crime
  2. ANC led alliance members have not participated effectively in the formation of CPFs and in the promotion of issues of peace and stability.

Therefore resolve:

  1. ANC/Alliance needs to encourage its members and communities to participate in CSFs, prioritize and run campaigns around peace and stability issues, based on a clear programme that is linked to the Moral Regeneration Campaign
  2. There should be a program of mobilization and integration of structures such as School Governing Bodies and Parent-Teacher Associations with safety and security structures in order to defeat crime in our communities.
  3. Traditional leaders should be mobilised to play a more significant role in promoting peace and stability in rural areas.
  4. The Rural Safety Plan must be implemented and made visible in rural areas
  5. Young people must also be involved in a massive programme of community policing and safety that would include night street patrols and have stipends paid by government as part of the national youth service to instil the value to serve and protect the community and public property amongst our youth.
  6. The is a need for a firm resolution on Social Crime Prevention
  7. Police stations must be centres for coordinating mass mobilisation against crime

JUDICIARY

Noting that:

  1. There have been great strides in transforming the judiciary but more still needs to be done.
  2. Accelerated transformation of our courts will go a long way to further improve the confidence of the people of South Africa in our criminal justice system.

Therefore resolves:

  1. To establish a single, integrated judicial system with various divisions. Because many South Africans (particularly the poor) interact with the judicial system at local courts, more resources should be allocated to lower courts to improve their capacity and accessibility.
  2. To establish High Courts in all the provinces so as to make it possible for our people to have easy access to the Supreme Court of Appeals in all the provinces.
  3. Adoption and Implementation of transformative bills that are currently being debated.
  4. Need to recruit law students (especially black) to study law and devise means to keep them within the profession.
  5. Strengthen the lower courts and look at the notion of language in courts so as our citizens are adequately represented

MILITARY VETERANS

Noting that:

  1. The ANC has discussed in the past and adopted resolutions to improve the conditions of life of military veterans, as well as other measures to address their situation, and given that these have not been implemented fully;

Therefore resolves:

  1. That consideration be given to the establishment of a vehicle that can implement the said decisions, including the possibility of the establishment of a Ministry of Military Veterans.
  2. That the Special Pension of Military Veterans be subjected to a specially crafted tax system.
  3. That the NSF pension should be redrafted to allow for the payment of a lump sum at the end of the person’s pensionable age.
  4. That military veterans and members of the SANDF travel on public transport in the same way as members of the South African Police Service are allowed to benefit from this scheme.
  5. That the age limit of 35 years for beneficiaries of the Special Pension in terms of the relevant Act should be reviewed to include groups that were excluded on the basis of age.
  6. That MKMVA must participate in the NEC Peace and Stability sub-committee at all levels.
  7. That the Military Veterans Affairs Act, no 17 of 1999 must be amended with respect to, for example Section 3, Section 7 and other clauses to enable full participation of the non-statutory forces.
  8. That a transformed and all embracing SANMVA should be the official representative body of all South African Military veterans as soon as the said Military Veterans Affairs Act has been amended.
  9. That amended constitution of the SANMVA define the organisation as an administrator of all military veterans’ projects, identify training areas and intervene on behalf of veterans for recognition of prior learning, training and skills qualifications acquired outside the SA borders.
  10. That the housing Ministry should reserve a certain percentage of RDP houses per province to military veterans.
  11. That the possibility of the establishment of a special Medical Aid Scheme for military veterans be investigated.

IMMIGRATION AND REFUGEES

Noting that:

  1. Refugee management and control poses a challenge to the state

Therefore resolve:

  1. ANC structures should support the work of Home Affairs on the integration of refugees in society
  2. The Immigration Act should be revised to allow for stringent screening processes to prevent fugitives from the law in other countries from entering the country as refugees
  3. The department of Home affairs should continue to establish refugee centre with the mandate of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees.

POLICING FUNCTIONS OF TRADITIONAL AUTHORITIES

Noting that:

  1. Traditional authorities carry out minor policing activities,
  2. The manner in which they do so does not align with the SAPS,

Therefore resolve:

  1. The policing functions performed by traditional authorities must be monitored and closely aligned to mainstream policing.

PRIVATE SECURITY COMPANIES

Noting that:

  1. A large number of private security companies have mushroomed in the last couple of years

Therefore resolve:

  1. There should be a regulatory framework within which private security companies operate so as to allow oversight by the departments of Safety and Security and Intelligence
  2. The department of Safety and Security should be tasked to conduct an audit and develop an inventory of private security companies.

COMMUNITY SAFETY CENTRES

Therefore resolve:

  1. Victim centers must be funded fully and be made accessible to all communities.

INTELLIGENCE

Therefore resolve:

  1. Transform the Intelligence services to be able pro-act on matters threatening peace and stability of the country

CORRECTIONS

Noting that:

  1. Juveniles and hardened criminals are often detained in the same cells:

Therefore resolves:

  1. A new system should be introduced to cater for juvenile detainees.