Port
Elizabeth, South Africa - Eastern Cape MEC for Safety and Liaison, Helen
Sauls-August, has highly praised the Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality (NMBM) for
being the first municipality in the country to have a female municipal police
chief.
The
MEC was speaking at the launch of the Safety Month Programme of the Community
Safety Forum at the City Hall in Port
Elizabeth today. On February 1, 2014, former Tshwane
Deputy Police Chief, Pinkie Mathabathe, started her job as the Municipal Police
Chief of the soon to be established municipal police force.
MEC
August stated that the NMBM had led by example by appointing competent people
who meet the requirements, irrespective of gender, following due
processes.
“This
is a bold step for a growing city that has a lot of challenges related to
safety and security. Through the South African Police Service and the newly
launched Community Safety Forum we are looking forward to working with her and
her leadership to make Nelson
Mandela Bay
a safe city,” said MEC August. She added that her department would give
Mathabathe all the support she needed.
NMBM
Safety and Security Portfolio Chairman, Councillor Thembinkosi Mafana, also
thanked the MEC for the support her department gave and continued to give the
Municipality in the process of establishing a municipal police force.
“We
are now in a position where we can confidently say we are moving in the right
direction as a city in creating a safe environment for economic
development and job creation,” stated Councillor Mafana.
The
MEC also launched the Nelson Mandela Bay Community Safety Forum that will be
formed by members of the public to assist the Police in community policing and
conducting safety awareness campaigns.
Speaking
at the launch of the Community Safety Forum, she said that the coincidence of
launching the Forum at the same time as the launch of the Safety and Security
Month gave the government an opportunity to strengthen relationships with
communities and non-governmental organisations.
She
emphasised that youth participation in the Community Safety Forum was
crucial. “This is very important in a province, which has been bedeviled by
violent attacks on elderly women, mostly perpetrated by young people,” said MEC
August.
The
Safety Month programme will also see the department launching the Steve Tshwete
Games, which will be a prominent feature of the Safety and Security Month from
this year onwards. The games are intended to divert young people from
anti-social activities, like crime and substance abuse. This will be done by
promoting youth participation in sport.