Keep citizens safe instead of worrying about re-election, says MEC

Publicly elected leaders should stop worrying about getting second terms in office and rather be more concerned about how to keep citizens safe.

This was the message delivered by public works MEC Babalo Madikizela in Zwide on Tuesday evening at a prayer session about the high levels of crime in Nelson Mandela Bay.

The session was organised by SA National Civic Organisation provincial chair and Eastern Cape legislature MPL Tony Duba.

The event at Daku Hall was attended by religious leaders from Nelson Mandela Bay as well as Bhisho legislature deputy speaker Mlibo Qoboshiyane.

Madikizela said the situation in the country called for people to be closer to God and prayer to fight crime.

“Those people who have been given positions of authority in the community should not occupy their minds on other things such as getting second terms in office — whether I’m coming back next term and who I’m bringing with me —  they should focus on how to keep people safe,” he said.

Madikizela said poverty was one of the reasons for the increase in criminal activity.

He said the department of public works was making parcels of land available for women and the youth to help them to start farming and other businesses.

“We’ve got vacant school buildings here in the metro and people can apply at the department to get caretaker status for these buildings.

“Depending on the building, people can occupy these spaces where government has no immediate plans for them,” Madikizela said.

Qoboshiyane said crime in the country, province and the metro had become so bad that people had installed security gates in the passages of their homes so that thieves could be stopped from entering certain rooms.

“People can’t walk the streets at night as if they’re foreigners in their own land.

“Government needs everyone’s support to fight crime,” Qoboshiyane said.

Directing his gaze at Madikizela, bishop Richard Mgxwalisa said the government needed to make more land available so that churches could be opened to help combat crime and spread the word of God.