Ke na le Matla!/ I have the Power!
The delivery of safety, transport, traffic and roads infrastructure services by the Department takes place under an over-arching operational philosophy of community responsibilisation called: Ke na le Matla!/I have the power (to do something against crime). This campaign was launched by the previous MEC for Public Safety, Security and Liaison, Mr. Mxolisi Dukwana, and has at its core the belief that service delivery is a quality-of-life matter.
Taking this into account, the refreshing Ke na le matla approach aims at releasing the potential of each community member to improve the quality of life of all citizens through assured participation in the delivery of services to communities.
This aligns with the promise made to the people of South Africa in the Preamble of the National Constitution of the RSA stating: “We therefore … adopt this Constitution as the supreme law of the Republic so as to improve the quality of the life of all citizens and free the potential of each person …”
Civilian control and participation in the safety, transport, Traffic and road infrastructure network
Civilian control and participation in the delivery of safety, transport, traffic and integrated road infrastructure services is a bold statement on the part of the Department to emphasise its responsiveness to community expectations and respect for their socio-economic rights. Police accountability, for instance, continues to be prioritized in an effort to protect the fundamental rights of all community members and to get remedies in place when individuals (such as the police, magistrates, judges, correctional officers, etc) charged with the responsibility to promote law and order, violate these rights.
Because civilian oversight is a vital part of democratic policing, collaboration between the community and the police becomes an indispensable element of the Ke na le Matla campaign.
Community policing has, through the establishment of Community Police Forums (CPFs), became a dominant democratic accountability tool by which to:
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improve police-community relations;
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Promote oversight of policing at local level; and
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Mobilise communities to take responsibility in the fight against crime.
Community Police Forums (CPFs) have remained the most visible expression of community policing and it is through them that many community policing successes have been registered, particularly the customisation of policing in each locality.
Whilst awaiting the introduction of a new national safety and security legislation to redefine the role of the CPFs, our new Department will continue to develop and partner with CPFs, Community Safety Forums (CSFs), Transport Forums and other community-based structures in our quest to remain development-oriented