The eThekwini District police, together with the Office of the Premier, Correctional Services, Metro Police and the Department of Community Safety and Liaison, raided the Albert Park area which has become a hotspot for crimes. Two wanted suspects were arrested on Monday (October 14) following a Safer Festive operation spearheaded by the local police. The operation, which took place in Albert Park in the Durban CBD, also saw the arrest of fifteen undocumented foreign nationals. Police Spokesman for KwaZulu-Natal Colonel Robert Netshiunda said several informal structures near the M4 highway were also demolished in the operation.
“During the operation, police demolished informal structures which were built in the public space adjacent to the traffic lights under the M4 highway bridge. Two people have been positively linked to crimes through their fingerprints. One of them has been on the wanted list since 2001, and investigations are underway to determine the cases he is linked to. The arrested suspects will be presented before the court at the conclusion of the verification process. “With the festive season just around the corner, the management of police in the eThekwini District, together with the Office of the Premier, Correctional Services, Metro Police and the Department of Community Safety and Liaison, raided the Albert Park area which had become a hotspot for crimes, such as theft-out-of-motor-vehicle, smash-and-grab incidents and robberies,” he said. Netshiunda added that more than 100 homeless people were taken in for processing.
Durban’s Central Business District (CBD) is meant to be an environment at the heat of the city where you can come to do good clean business. The raid although definitely needed has come at a later time. It is surprising and somewhat embarrassing that the police were able to catch a criminal who has been on their wanted list since 2001 till now. That is about twenty-three years later. What were the police and the local authorities doing with the resources at their disposal till now? How could one criminal elude capture for so long. This kind of raid into the CBD should have taken place decades ago. Were they all waiting for the African National Congress (ANC) to lose a foothold in the province? For the Government of National Unity to come in? Now we have to wait and see how far the local authorities and the police will go to prevent crime in the years to come.
This raid should be a learning experience.
Meanwhile the Durban Business Confidence Index (BCI) report which painted a more positive image of the economic health of eThekwini Municipality despite the ongoing water crisis and rampant crime has been disputed by the ratepayers’ associations.
The report, released on Tuesday, highlights a significant rise in business confidence from 55.49 to 63.01 points in the third quarter (July to September), signalling a positive outlook for the city. Conducted by the University of KwaZulu-Natal’s Macroeconomics Research Unit and the Durban Business Chamber of Commerce and eThekwini Municipality, the report aims to assess the overall economic landscape and gauge future potential economic threats. However, the President of the eThekwini Ratepayers and Residents Association (ERRA), Ish Prahladh, who is also a businessman, is not convinced. “How can business confidence rise in eThekwini when consistent water challenges are hampering people’s businesses? If anything, businesses are running away from Durban. Business confidence is very low in eThekwini,” said Prahladh. “There is also the issue of crime. To us, that report does not mean a thing.”
Creating reports like this one needs to be based on overall surveys conducted on the views of those like Ish Prahladh who have experience in business. The report claims that it accesses the overall economic landscape and gauge future potential economic threats, but from whom does it take this into account from? Service delivery, such as fresh water supply and crime remain huge concerns. The raid in the CBD discussed previously should have been a standard practice across the city’s desolate places that should have taken place decades ago. Business confidence surveys are supposed to reflect reality. The unpopularity of the report reflects the opinions of a very small group of the business elite rather than the overall majority of those with the experience and entrepreneurial skills. The municipality must not allow this report that was conducted by UKZN’s Macroeconomics Research Unit and the DBCC to be accepted and needs to be reviewed and its sources questioned.
Asad Gaffer, chairperson of the eThekwini Ratepayers Protest Movement and chairperson of the Westville Ratepayers Association, said: “We don’t agree with that report. As we speak now, eThekwini municipality is failing to deal with the water crisis. This has affected many businesses, some have been forced to close down due to this crisis. They are just shooting in the dark. We don’t agree with this report.”
The Council of the eThekwini Municipality has a long way to go to improve the business environment. Service delivery such as basic necessities like water and electricity, the local crime rate and the water crisis shows there is large room for improvement. There needs to be significant reform of the public sector, local governance and security. This includes the police. eThekwini Region has a long way to go to improve its standing. This requires deeper actions than raids around the “festive season”.
Article written by:
Yacoob Cassim
Journalist at Radio Al Ansaar
