Police Deputy Minister Cassel Mathale said police will increase their presence across South Africa during the festive season. He said more officers will be seen on roads, at shopping centres, at ports of entry and in other busy places.
Mathale was speaking at the launch of the Safer Festive Season programme in Mpumalanga, according to SAnews. He said the South African Police Service (SAPS) would deploy dedicated officers around the clock to fight crime and keep the public safe.
“We are ensuring that there is heightened police visibility nationally,” Mathale said.
He said the holiday period brings a rise in tourism. Ports of entry become busier as people travel in and out of the country for holidays and other reasons.
“We will therefore ensure that our police officers are more visible on the road, in shopping centres and other areas with high concentration of our people and tourists,” Mathale said.
The Deputy Minister said road deaths and crashes also tend to go up at this time of year. He said many of these crashes are caused by people who drive after drinking alcohol.
Mathale said police would follow a zero tolerance approach to drinking and driving. He said SAPS would enforce the laws on liquor trading and on drinking in public places. Police would also work to make sports and recreational events safer, he said.
He said the police would also strengthen their work against gender-based violence and femicide.
“The continuous senseless and brutal killings of women and children demands a much stronger response from us,” Mathale said.
He said police would run joint campaigns and law enforcement operations in communities. These would target people who commit violent crimes against women and children, he said.
Mathale said that fighting all forms of crime remained the main task of the Department of Police. He said the festive season programme does not replace normal policing work.
“The safer festive season programme does not replace our primary policing functions but is intended to augment and upscale policing during the holiday season,” he said.
He said the launch showed a renewed commitment to protecting residents and visitors. He added that criminals would have nowhere to hide.
“We are declaring war against crime and criminality,” Mathale said.
The Deputy Minister also called on communities to work with the police. “The police cannot fight crime alone,” he said. He said criminals live among community members, and people know who they are.
Source: this article is based on reporting by SAnews.gov.za. Image: GCIS via SAnews.gov.za. Written with the help of AI and published by the Tzaneen Voice News desk. See our Editorial Standards.
Kgomotso Maake covers news and politics for Tzaneen Voice. Kgomotso reports on government, Parliament, municipalities, courts, crime and service delivery across South Africa, with a close eye on how national decisions reach towns like Tzaneen and the wider Limpopo province. Stories are written in plain English and focus on the facts: who made the decision, what it means, and what happens next.