20 Feb
- Panyaza Lesufi gave his first State of the Province Address.
- Lesufi said criminals were acting as "God" by holding residents of Gauteng hostage.
- He explained how his administration would fight against crime.
Talking
tough on crime, Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi wants guns registered
for use in the province to be monitored via tracking devices.
Lesufi unveiled plans for vehicle licence registrations to be fitted with high-tech security features, making it hard for criminals to duplicate.
On Monday, he revealed a list of priorities, which he said needed to be tackled to save the citizens of Gauteng from "criminals that play God with our lives'".
Lesufi was giving his first State of the Province Address.
He was sworn in as premier in 2022 following the resignation of his predecessor, David Makhura.
He has about a year left in his short term before the 2024 national elections, which are predicted to be tough for the ANC.
Lesufi has long decried the state of crime in Gauteng and how residents are being held hostage by criminals.
His speech on Monday spoke to this concern, with the bulk of its introduction littered with promises to Gauteng's citizens that safety would return.
READ | Gauteng premier moots tighter gun control after AKA, Motsoane murders
Lesufi said that, to tackle crime, his administration would be spending over R700 million in the next few months on several projects.
He said about 400 new cars would be handed to the province's law enforcement agencies, while 180 drones would be added to fight crime in areas unreachable by the police.
To loud applause from the ANC caucus at Johannesburg City Hall, Lesufi said another plan was to issue "electronic panic buttons" to citizens, which they could use to alert SAPS when a crime occurred.
The ANC Gauteng provincial leader said the devices would be linked to police control centres in each community.
Lesufi also made other bold promises in his speech.
READ | Lesufi’s ambitious plan to tackle crime
He said to tackle crime further, the provincial government would change legislation to allow additional features to be added to registered licence plates.
This feature would make it harder for criminals to duplicate licence plates.
Lesufi said guns registered in Gauteng would be fitted with tracking devices.
He said every gun used illegally was once legal, and no weapon in Gauteng should roam the streets untracked.
"Our province is home to heartless criminals who do as they wish. Our situation is out of control," Lesufi said.
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