Examining the effectiveness of the existing safety and crime prevention mechanism in Mopani district municipality, South Africa

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.15587/2523-4153.2023.290162

Keywords:

Community Safety Forum, Crime Prevention, Local Government, Municipality, Safety

Abstract

Crime prevention has been recognised as one of the key national priorities in South Africa since the establishment of the National Crime Prevention Strategy (NCPS) in 1996. It is viewed to be the responsibility and duty of the South African Police Service (SAPS); however, with a range of crimes, caused by different factors, it is impossible to rely exclusively on the police to prevent crime. Thus, various stakeholders, such as businesses, communities, Non-Government Organisations, civil society, law enforcement and Municipalities, need to take a stand in maintaining peace and ensuring safety for law-abiding citizens within their municipal boundaries. This article examines the effectiveness of the existing mechanisms in ensuring safety in Mopani District Municipality (MDM). The Constitution mandates municipalities to take a lead in crime prevention to increasing people's feelings of safety and building safer communities. Using a qualitative research approach, a purposive sampling was used to select four municipal officials. The face-to-face interviews were conducted in Letaba local municipality, Greater Tzaneen local municipality, Ba-Phalaborwa local municipality and Maruleng local municipality. Data was analysed through thematic analysis. The results revealed that most local municipalities are involved in crime prevention through the establishment of the Community Safety Forums (CSF) who participate in tourism safety, school safety, road, social crime prevention and health safety. The findings revealed lack of resources, funding (Budget), political instability, lack of knowledge, training and experience as some of the major challenges hindering the effectiveness of local government involvement in crime prevention. The study recommends the establishment of a safety section in a municipality, professionalization of the crime prevention space, exploring other avenue for funding and municipal accountability to address safety issues

Supporting Agency

  • National Institution for the Humanities and Social Sciences (NIHSS) Project SDS20/1442

Author Biography

Khethiwe Madima, University of Venda

Doctoral candidate

Department of Criminal Justice

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Published

2023-12-29

How to Cite

Madima, K. (2023). Examining the effectiveness of the existing safety and crime prevention mechanism in Mopani district municipality, South Africa. ScienceRise: Juridical Science, (4(26), 59–64. https://doi.org/10.15587/2523-4153.2023.290162

Issue

No. 4(26) (2023)

Section

Juridical Science

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Copyright (c) 2023 Khethiwe Madima

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