MEC NOMANDLA BLOEM
SAFETY AND SECURITY MONTH LAUNCH
09 FEBRUARY 2023
DELPORTSHOOP
Programme Director
Councillor […]
HOD Rodney Peters and HOM Vincent Diraditsile
Leadership and members of the Community Police Forum
Members of SAPS present
Leaders of the Community and Faith Based Organisations
Those who will be sharing their stories
Young people, women, people of Delportshoop
It is my pleasure to be here with you today.
February was first introduced as National Safety and Security Month in 2001 by the former President Mr. Thabo Mbeki. The aim of the campaign, at the time, was to recruit volunteers to assist at police stations under the Letsema - Working Together – programme.
The idea was led under the theme: “Together we must do more to fight crime… we all have a role to play in this war against crime … we must actively participate in Community Policing Forums. We must stop buying stolen goods, which encourages crime… we must report crime and assist the police with information to catch wrongdoers. In this way, we will move forward towards a crime –free society”.
Annually Safety & Security Month is celebrated by the Northern Cape Province in February Month.
This year the focus will be on creating safer communities with specific attention to reduce the impact of gender-based violence, femicide and substance abuse in our communities. Today will mark the Launch of this special Month.
The campaign’s main focus will be on public information, awareness and education on gender-based violence, substance abuse in the prevention of crime. We must understand that there is power in knowing. We must know what GBV is, what does it look like, what can we do when it happens, where can we go for help?
We are cognisant of the fact that the police cannot be held solely responsible for addressing issues of crime and criminality and that we need to lead, facilitate and coordinate the integration of social crime prevention strategies in our communities. We are solidifying a Programme of Action attempting to integrate efforts from different spheres of Government as well as mobilizing communities to facilitate these efforts.
We are aware that there is a creeping evil – the drugs our children are using. This thing is slowly killing the dreams and futures of young people everywhere. We must work with the Police to develop a Substance Abuse Awareness Campaign that will focus on an integrated approach to mobilise and support youth in this fight. We need our children to grow up healthy and productive.
Our country has such a history of violence, discrimination, displacement, expropriation of land, colonialism, apartheid, racism and indeed patriarchy. This has left such scars on the minds, identity and pride of our people.
We also have longstanding legacies of poverty, unemployment, inequality, broken homes and the inappropriate expression of this hurt and trauma in exactly the spaces where we are supposed to nurture and protect - our homes.
The rape and killing of children, women and the LGBTQIA community is like a festering wound on the face of our national identity. It is no secret that we have one of the most elevated levels of GBV worldwide. It is something we are known for. This is horrifyingly tragic.
As a Provincial Government we need to do much more to strengthen Civil Society and build strong, sustained networks to strengthen our communities’ ability to play an active role in healing and protecting itself. This is essentially and fundamentally the kind of society that any government must create in order to sustain social justice and integrated development goals.
We must be responsive in our policies, and responses to GBV by being survivor-centred. This must be true for every access point where services are rendered for survivors of GBV, including primary healthcare spaces like clinics and hospitals as well as in every police station around the nation.
We need to acknowledge and understand how our schools have also become breeding grounds for violence, rape and the oppression of girls. How is it that this thing can happen? Who do these young boys learn it from and what is our response to such at our schools? We also have such an alarming increase in teenage pregnancies, we can no longer just do nothing.
We need men and women who understand the true meaning of words such as honesty and integrity, and who have respect for the rights of others. We need to foster greater religious tolerance and cooperation for moral renewal. In the times we are living we cannot have the church turning its face away when women and girls are hurt in homes.
The LGBTI community in society are faced with such violent hate from us. We reject them, chase them from our homes, schools and churches to live lives on the streets. We rape our lesbian daughters in the belief that we can cure them through this evil kind of violence. We beat our sons who identify more with womanhood as if being a woman is a lower form of being. What is this thing? We cannot survive such thinking anymore.
There is, as sure as my heart beats in my chest as evidence, a Lord God of Grace and Mercy who is crying for how we treat His sons and daughters. Let it not be up to us to judge while we are commanded in the most urgent way to LOVE one another as He loves us.
Men and boys must form part of our programmes and must voice out condemnation of acts of violence and harassment on open platforms and within our homes. Public spaces must be made safe & violent free for all, particularly women, LGBTQIA+ and children. There must be no space in South Africa where gender-based violence is tolerated. We need everyone to play their part in condemning acts of violence and reporting all acts of abuse or harassment.
People of Delportshoop, we see various forms of abuse like economic abuse, blesser syndrome, illegal labour practises, emotional abuse, physical abuse, continue at alarming levels.
My call goes out to you to take hands with CPF structures and the police, so we break the shame and the silence of violence and report these crimes as and where they occur. We are not only protecting the lives of our women and children but safeguarding their dignity.
There is nothing more powerful than a community that has decided to participate in power against crime, rather than remain the victims of it. Just so, we call upon the police and CPF structures, neighbours and members of the community to be vigilant for any signs of violence in our homes and to report it. When it is reported we need to act swiftly and decisively.
We have a long way to go in the fight against gender based violence in our communities. I know, however, that we are starting to win the fight against the shame of violence that has kept us silent for years. Our voices need to rise in power with the realization that we, as women and girl children, are worthy, proud members of our society deserving of care, love and respect.
I thank you
Programme Director
Councillor […]
HOD Rodney Peters and HOM Vincent Diraditsile
Leadership and members of the Community Police Forum
Members of SAPS present
Leaders of the Community and Faith Based Organisations
Those who will be sharing their stories
Young people, women, people of Delportshoop
It is my pleasure to be here with you today.
February was first introduced as National Safety and Security Month in 2001 by the former President Mr. Thabo Mbeki. The aim of the campaign, at the time, was to recruit volunteers to assist at police stations under the Letsema - Working Together – programme.
The idea was led under the theme: “Together we must do more to fight crime… we all have a role to play in this war against crime … we must actively participate in Community Policing Forums. We must stop buying stolen goods, which encourages crime… we must report crime and assist the police with information to catch wrongdoers. In this way, we will move forward towards a crime –free society”.
Annually Safety & Security Month is celebrated by the Northern Cape Province in February Month.
This year the focus will be on creating safer communities with specific attention to reduce the impact of gender-based violence, femicide and substance abuse in our communities. Today will mark the Launch of this special Month.
The campaign’s main focus will be on public information, awareness and education on gender-based violence, substance abuse in the prevention of crime. We must understand that there is power in knowing. We must know what GBV is, what does it look like, what can we do when it happens, where can we go for help?
We are cognisant of the fact that the police cannot be held solely responsible for addressing issues of crime and criminality and that we need to lead, facilitate and coordinate the integration of social crime prevention strategies in our communities.
We are solidifying a Programme of Action attempting to integrate efforts from different spheres of Government as well as mobilizing communities to facilitate these efforts.
We are aware that there is a creeping evil – the drugs our children are using. This thing is slowly killing the dreams and futures of young people everywhere. We must work with the Police to develop a Substance Abuse Awareness Campaign that will focus on an integrated approach to mobilise and support youth in this fight. We need our children to grow up healthy and productive.
Our country has such a history of violence, discrimination, displacement, expropriation of land, colonialism, apartheid, racism and indeed patriarchy. This has left such scars on the minds, identity and pride of our people.
We also have longstanding legacies of poverty, unemployment, inequality, broken homes and the inappropriate expression of this hurt and trauma in exactly the spaces where we are supposed to nurture and protect - our homes.
The rape and killing of children, women and the LGBTQIA community is like a festering wound on the face of our national identity. It is no secret that we have one of the most elevated levels of GBV worldwide. It is something we are known for. This is horrifyingly tragic.
As a Provincial Government we need to do much more to strengthen Civil Society and build strong, sustained networks to strengthen our communities’ ability to play an active role in healing and protecting itself. This is essentially and fundamentally the kind of society that any government must create in order to sustain social justice and integrated development goals.
We must be responsive in our policies, and responses to GBV by being survivor-centred. This must be true for every access point where services are rendered for survivors of GBV, including primary healthcare spaces like clinics and hospitals as well as in every police station around the nation.
We need to acknowledge and understand how our schools have also become breeding grounds for violence, rape and the oppression of girls. How is it that this thing can happen? Who do these young boys learn it from and what is our response to such at our schools? We also have such an alarming increase in teenage pregnancies, we can no longer just do nothing.
We need men and women who understand the true meaning of words such as honesty and integrity, and who have respect for the rights of others. We need to foster greater religious tolerance and cooperation for moral renewal. In the times we are living we cannot have the church turning its face away when women and girls are hurt in homes.
The LGBTI community in society are faced with such violent hate from us. We reject them, chase them from our homes, schools and churches to live lives on the streets. We rape our lesbian daughters in the belief that we can cure them through this evil kind of violence. We beat our sons who identify more with womanhood as if being a woman is a lower form of being. What is this thing? We cannot survive such thinking anymore.
There is, as sure as my heart beats in my chest as evidence, a Lord God of Grace and Mercy who is crying for how we treat His sons and daughters. Let it not be up to us to judge while we are commanded in the most urgent way to LOVE one another as He loves us.
Men and boys must form part of our programmes and must voice out condemnation of acts of violence and harassment on open platforms and within our homes. Public spaces must be made safe & violent free for all, particularly women, LGBTQIA+ and children. There must be no space in South Africa where gender-based violence is tolerated. We need everyone to play their part in condemning acts of violence and reporting all acts of abuse or harassment.
People of Delportshoop, we see various forms of abuse like economic abuse, blesser syndrome, illegal labour practises, emotional abuse, physical abuse, continue at alarming levels.
My call goes out to you to take hands with CPF structures and the police, so we break the shame and the silence of violence and report these crimes as and where they occur. We are not only protecting the lives of our women and children but safeguarding their dignity.
There is nothing more powerful than a community that has decided to participate in power against crime, rather than remain the victims of it. Just so, we call upon the police and CPF structures, neighbours and members of the community to be vigilant for any signs of violence in our homes and to report it. When it is reported we need to act swiftly and decisively.
We have a long way to go in the fight against gender based violence in our communities. I know, however, that we are starting to win the fight against the shame of violence that has kept us silent for years. Our voices need to rise in power with the realization that we, as women and girl children, are worthy, proud members of our society deserving of care, love and respect.
I thank you
