Rise Mzansi digs deep to tackle crime in Gauteng

Rise Mzansi hosted a panel discussion to inform citizens on their plan to tackle crime in Gauteng. 

On April 9, 2024, Rise Mzansi hosted a panel discussion at Workshop 17 in Rosebank Mall to address Rise’s proposed policies on safety and security in South Africa with emphasis on the need to address the root causes of crime. 

This discussion was the second instalment of a weekly event hosted by Rise labelled the “Citizens Assembly’.   A public forum to deliberate proposed policies and electoral issues, allowing input from both a panel of experts and citizens in attendance. The idea is to incorporate feedback to improve policies and build a genuine ‘people’s manifesto’. 

Monday’s assembly was hosted by human rights activist, Mark Heywood and Rise’s Gauteng Premier candidate, Vuyiswa Ramokgopa. Heywood said the format would "pioneer the practice of participatory democracy”, and the two hours that followed proved his point.  

The panel of experts included Head of Justice and Violence Prevention at the Institute for Security Studies Gareth Newham, founder of the NGO ‘Nirvana’ Jennifer Matibi, lawyer and human rights activist Nicole Fritz, and founding member of ‘Guns Free South Africa’, Adele Kirsten. 

The assembly began with Ramokgopa outlining Rise’s objectives regarding safety and security in Gauteng.  Rise’s plan revolves around addressing the structural issues that create crime and the culture that allows creates impunity in the police force.  

The panel then scrutinized the plan and offered suggestions on possible ways to improve the proposed policies. Gareth Newham spoke of the importance of addressing the root causes of crime and suggested the possibility of hiring more social workers instead of police officers so the trauma behind criminality can be addressed. 

Once all experts had offered their input, the discussion was then opened to the floor for citizen input, critique and query. It was here that possible policy blind spots were pointed out - such as their neglect of the LGBTQIA+ community as pointed out by a member of the floor: “Since we’re talking about safety and society, where do you put the LGBTQI+?” 

Once the feedback was received, Ramokgopa closed the panel by discussing the importance of prioritizing the root causes of not just crime but police complicity too. She claims profit-driven incentives contribute to the culture of corruption in the police force and that heteronormative values allow impunity in addressing rape and crimes against the LGBTQI+. Ramokgopa thus stated that beyond the policies proposed by Rise, re-education and a change of ethos in the police force is necessary to improve state security.  

Ramokgopa does not simply wish to tackle safety and security through immediate solutions alone. She claims to prioritize addressing the underlying causes of crime and ineffective policing in the hopes of building a safer Gauteng in the long run. “We are a traumatized nation that uses violence to solve problems. (So) we need to rebuild the South African family” she stated. 

Furthermore, the event intended to illustrate what sets Rise apart from other parties in the run-up to the national elections in May. The party has built its brand off promising a new style of leadership to the current government- with their campaign slogan being “#WeNeed NewLeaders”. Rise claims to offer transparent leadership that is actively involved in the communities they represent “Participation and changing the way we do politics is a core tenant for Rise Mzansi… politics is a team sport” stated Ramokgopa. 

The citizen’s assembly will resume weekly in the run-up to the May elections and is open for public participation. Each assembly is recorded and is available on the Rise Mzansi YouTube channel.