WATCH | KZN launches its first District Anti-Crime Stakeholder Council
The launch happened as anti-illegal-immigration sentiment in the district and other parts of the country was threatening to tear communities apart
The Presidency has hailed uMgungundlovu for becoming the first district in KwaZulu-Natal to launch an anti-crime multi-stakeholder council, drawing various sectors, including traditional leaders and faith organisations, into the fight against crime.
Speaking during the unveiling of 300 anti-crime councillors at Pietermaritzburg’s Caluza Sport Grounds on Thursday, Deputy Minister in the Presidency, Kenny Morolong, described the launch of the council as a bold step in the fight against crime in the district.
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“According to the latest statistics, this district is one of the major contributors to the high level of crime in the country, particularly contact crimes.”
The active community participation in crime fighting is a demonstration of our collective determination to dismantle crime networks.
Morolong, who is also the national cabinet’s uMgungundlovu District Champion, said that while it was critical for community members, working with law enforcement agencies, to tackle crime, the government would not turn a blind eye to the drivers of crime such as unemployment and poverty.
“The council will play a major role in assisting the government to address the underlying causes of crime,” he said.
Unlike previous anti-crime initiatives, the anti-crime multi-stakeholder council — which was launched in 2024 at a KwaZulu-Natal provincial level — has a strong focus on broader challenges facing communities, including unemployment, poverty and poor service delivery, which the government has identified as major causes of crime.
Senior leaders who attended Thursday’s launch included Inkosi Khethokuhle Zondi of the Mpumuza Traditional Authority, Transport and Human Settlements MEC Siboniso Duma, uMgungundlovu District Mayor Mzi Zuma and Msunduzi Mayor Mzi Thebolla.
Zuma told community members that without their participation, police would not be able to bring down the district’s high crime levels.
“The role of fighting crime has become the duty of society at large, not that of the police alone. As a collective, including community organisations, business, traditional and religious leaders, we need to come up with ways to tackle crime. All sectors of society should become part of the fight against crime,” he said.
The launch happened as anti-illegal-immigration sentiment in the district and other parts of the country was threatening to tear communities apart.
While Inkosi Zondi told members of the community that he was one of the people who supported the June 30 anti-illegal-immigration protest, he expressed concern that the continuation of protests against undocumented foreign nationals could lead to an outbreak of crime in the region.
“After the June 30 protest, which I supported, we are now hearing that there will be protests every week. How can we say we have a country if we protest every week? My concern is that such protests will breed more crime,” he said.
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The extent of the district’s crime problem was underscored this week by the gruesome murder of nine-year-old Nonjabulwenhle Nzimande in Pietermaritzburg’s Willowfontein.
The girl, whose body was discovered in the veld on Tuesday after she was reported missing, was abducted and then murdered at an unknown location.
Morolong, who visited Nonjabulwenhle’s family in Willowfontein on Thursday morning, said it was unacceptable that the life of a young child was ended for no apparent reason.
“As a father, I struggle to comprehend how the Nzimande family is coping with the loss of their own child under such violent circumstances. We call on law enforcement agencies to leave no stone unturned in ensuring that her killers are brought to justice,” he said.
