South African History Online

Address by President Nelson Mandela at the National Day of Safety and Security

Vosloorus, 15 October 1994

It is a great honour for me to be with you on this day, the National Day of
Safety and Security.

The people of the East Rand, and in particular Katlehong, Thokoza and
Vosloorus, have suffered more than most from violence and crime. But you are
also showing that there is a way to deal with these problems.

It is because of the terrible conditions under which you live, and because of
your determination to lift yourselves out of this crisis, that the project to
rebuild and repair your townships was made one of the President's Projects, a
priority within the RDP.

At this very moment, in every province of our land, senior members of the
government and leaders of various political parties are sharing platforms to
send out a message of peace and security. I am here today with my Honourable
colleagues, Chief Mangosuthu Buthelezi, the Minister of Home Affairs and Mr Pik
Botha, the Minister for Mineral and Energy Affairs to say together with one
voice:

Let us all take responsibility for freeing our
communities of crime and violence. Let us not rob ourselves of the freedom which
we have so recently won by allowing these evils to continue.

Every community in our country has a fundamental right to be free from fear.
Each and every South African has the right to feel secure in their home, to feel
safe in the cities, towns and rural areas. People should not fear the night.
They must be able to travel to work, to school and other places without danger.

But these rights are being denied to many by criminals who do not hesitate to
use violence to achieve their goals.

However, we say to you all: Do not despair. Together we can root out crime
from our communities.

A lasting solution to the problem of violent crime will depend on the success
of our Reconstruction and Development Programme. It is often poverty which
drives so many to crime. It is deprivation which provides the barons of crime,
the gangs and syndicates, with much of the labour force which does their dirty
work for them.

However, the RDP itself can only succeed in an environment of security and
stability.

There is much that we can do now to end crime and violence. And it is
essential that we do so together without delay.

There are some who are urging that the death penalty should be reinstated. We
know there is also concern about the granting of bail to criminals who then
return to their evil trade. The access which accused people have to prosecution
information is another source of concern. These are matters the government is
looking at. A careful balance is needed: So that we should not end up denying
ourselves rights which we should have, because of the actions of a minority.

Likewise the fact that illegal immigrants are involved in violent criminal
activity must not tempt us into the dangerous attitude which regards all
foreigners with hostility.

In any case, the solutions will not be found simply in our rules of criminal
procedure or laws regulating immigration. The roots of the problem lie much
deeper: in a partnership among all social structures to build a better life for
ourselves and co-operation with our neighbours. To deal with crime and violence,
a partnership between police and communities is central. This will also afford
the police better conditions to do their work.

I would like to commend the Minister of Safety and Security and his
provincial counter-parts, as well as the South Africa Police Services for the
progress that has been made to transform the police service. They should also be
congratulated for taking the initiative that has led to this Day of National
Safety and Security.

The aim of this day is to promote the partnership between police and
communities.

The difficulties in the way of such a partnership are great and we do not
underestimate them.

Ours has been a bitterly divided society in which laws and the police were
used to defend and maintain an illegitimate system. On top of this, communities
have sometimes been divided within themselves. Here in the East Rand those
divisions became deep and bitter.

What is important today is that we now have a truly democratic framework
within which we can address these problems.

To succeed, we must break with the past.

Dear Friends and Comrades,

The message which the government has asked me to convey is this:

1. Crime and violence can be defeated only if society unites against it. Here
   in the East Rand, since the Self-Defence Units and Self-Protection Units
   started talking to one another, violence has subsided. We congratulate all
   those who are taking part in this effort.
   
2. Community-police forums need to be established at every police station,
   including satellite stations. They should have the active participation of the
   community.
   
3. It is time for all leaders - political, community, church, trade union,
   civic and others - to voice their total opposition to crime. No longer can we
   let criminals use progressive-sounding slogans to mask their evil activities.
   
4. Attacks on the police are totally unacceptable. The task of the police is
   to protect and serve communities. The community in turn should help protect
   the policy by denying refuge to the criminals who carry out such attacks.
   
5. Members of the South African Police Service are your police. They are not
   the police of apartheid. They are there to help you. Support them. Expose the
   criminals. If instances arise where police abuse citizens, do not hesitate to
   report this to the forums and other government channels. You can be assured of
   the support of the government and of structures of the South African Police
   Service.

We will strive to provide more policing on the ground. The satellite police
stations which have been set up in this area are part of this programme.

We call on all who have unlicensed firearms and ammunition in their
possession to take advantage of the Indemnity which has just been proclaimed and
which will last until Friday next week. After Friday, the police, and members of
the SDU's and the SPU's are going to work together to track down any unlicensed
weapons.

So anyone who has weapons should hand them in. If there are any serious
problems in your community, report them; and steps will be taken to ensure the
community's collective security.

By acting in these ways, each and every person can take responsibility to
contribute to their own security, in a way which contributes to the security of
all.

Dear friends and comrades,

We come to you confident that a new era has dawned for our communities and
for the police. The overwhelming majority of the people want to live in peace
and go about their business under conditions of security.

I want to assure communities that, with your support, the government will
deal effectively with crime. I want to assure our brave police-men and women
that you have the full support of the government and society at large in your
efforts to combat crime.

Now is the time to unite and deal crime and violence a fatal blow. Now is the
time to make South Africa a safe place for all its people; for investors and for
our visitors.