{"id":102522,"date":"2015-10-19T11:46:24","date_gmt":"2015-10-19T09:46:24","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/germistoncitynews.co.za\/?p=102522"},"modified":"2015-10-19T11:46:24","modified_gmt":"2015-10-19T09:46:24","slug":"taking-back-the-streets-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/develop.citizen.co.za\/germiston-city-news\/news-headlines\/2015\/10\/19\/taking-back-the-streets-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Taking back the streets"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>\u201cI am a man of action.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>These are the words of the newly appointed Chief of Police for Ekurhuleni, Bafana Andries Mahlabe.<\/p><div class=\"stream-item stream-item-in-post stream-item-inline-post aligncenter\"><\/div>\n<p>Mahlabe\u2019s appointment was announced on Thursday, at the Germiston Civic Centre, by executive mayor of Ekurhuleni Clr Mondli Gungubele.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt has taken us over a year to fill this position, because we were looking for the most relevant person, a person who understands the dynamics of the city and has a clear vision of how to win the battle against crime,\u201d Gungubele explained.<\/p><div class=\"stream-item stream-item-in-post stream-item-inline-post aligncenter\"><\/div>\n<p>He shared his confidence that the right man had been appointed to the position when he said: \u201cAfter an extensive and rigorous interview process I am confident that Mahlabe is the right man for the job.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Chief of EMPD1\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/DXMDFaKEGM8?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>\u201cDuring the interviews he showed us that he has what it takes to take the metro into the future.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>After the official announcement was made, Mahlabe, who hails from Duduza, was given the opportunity to share his plans for his 100 days.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Chief of EMPD2\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/SvZq7bgx_ls?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>\u201cIn my first 10 days in office we have already apprehended three, most wanted, criminals linked to police killings, cash-in-transit heists and armed robbery,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI am also rolling out operation bumper to bumper.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe critical areas I need to focus on, as they were highlighted in the State of the City Address earlier this year, are illegal miners, copper cable theft, a festive strategy, hijackings, land grabbing, drug peddling with special focus on CBDs, violent crimes, service delivery protests, traffic control and by-law enforcement.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Mahlabe intends to turn the EMPD and safety of the metro around with a 10-point action plan.<\/p>\n<p>The 10 focus points are: discipline enforcement, transformation and professionalisation, depoliticising the department, radical crime combating and corruption, a proactive crime prevention strategy, visible\/active policing, improved community safety and health stakeholder relations, effective traffic law and by-law enforcement, optimal utilisation of resources and making the EMPD a world class entity.<\/p>\n<p>Mahlabe assured the residents of the metro that he does not plan to be a figure head, behind a desk; instead he plans to be on the streets making a difference.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI am taking back the streets for the citizens of the metro and will leave no stone unturned,\u201d he stated.<\/p>\n<p>The DA has questioned Mahlabe appointment, citing that the appointment is a direct contravention of the SAPS Act.<\/p>\n<p>The Act states that council may only appoint a member of the service as its head.<\/p>\n<p>Mahlabe is not a member of the EMPD.<\/p>\n<p>A further concern brought forward by the DA was Mahlabe\u2019s record of violence.<\/p>\n<p>The DA claims evidence of this was shown when he orchestrated the invasion of the Ekurhuleni Council Chambers in Germiston last year (2014).<\/p>\n<p>Gungubele responded to the claims, saying: \u201cThis man\u2019s appointment comes after an intense scrutinising process; he is not a risk to state security.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Chief of EMPD3   Responding to DA\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/HTIRkiQojKM?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat has been clarified and is not an issue.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAs Mahlabe is not a member of the EMPD the metro is following all necessary processes as defined in the Police Act to ensure that the appointment is in accordance with the law.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Gungubele stated that the DA knows what processes to follow if they have a complaint and encouraged them to back up the claims made.<\/p>\n<div id='gallery-1' class='gallery galleryid-102522 gallery-columns-3 gallery-size-thumbnail'><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon portrait'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/develop.citizen.co.za\/germiston-city-news\/news-headlines\/2015\/10\/19\/taking-back-the-streets-2\/attachment\/42gcnmunicipalempdlh2-custom\/'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"270\" height=\"203\" src=\"https:\/\/dwu32cgxelq1c.cloudfront.net\/local_newspapers\/sites\/31\/2015\/10\/42GCNMUNICIPALEMPDLH2-Custom-270x203.jpg\" class=\"attachment-thumbnail size-thumbnail\" alt=\"\" aria-describedby=\"gallery-1-102525\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<figcaption class='wp-caption-text gallery-caption' id='gallery-1-102525'>\n\t\t\t\tBafana Andries Mahlabe (left) shakes hands with the executive mayor of Ekurhuleni, Clr Mondli Gungubele, following a press conference at the Germiston Civic Centre, on Thursday.\n\t\t\t\t<\/figcaption><\/figure><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/develop.citizen.co.za\/germiston-city-news\/news-headlines\/2015\/10\/19\/taking-back-the-streets-2\/attachment\/42gcnmunicipalempdlh3-custom\/'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"270\" height=\"203\" src=\"https:\/\/dwu32cgxelq1c.cloudfront.net\/local_newspapers\/sites\/31\/2015\/10\/42GCNMUNICIPALEMPDLH3-Custom-270x203.jpg\" class=\"attachment-thumbnail size-thumbnail\" alt=\"\" aria-describedby=\"gallery-1-102526\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<figcaption class='wp-caption-text gallery-caption' id='gallery-1-102526'>\n\t\t\t\tNew chapter for EMPD.\n\t\t\t\t<\/figcaption><\/figure><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/develop.citizen.co.za\/germiston-city-news\/news-headlines\/2015\/10\/19\/taking-back-the-streets-2\/attachment\/42gcnmunicipalempdlh4-custom\/'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"270\" height=\"203\" src=\"https:\/\/dwu32cgxelq1c.cloudfront.net\/local_newspapers\/sites\/31\/2015\/10\/42GCNMUNICIPALEMPDLH4-Custom-270x203.jpg\" class=\"attachment-thumbnail size-thumbnail\" alt=\"\" aria-describedby=\"gallery-1-102527\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<figcaption class='wp-caption-text gallery-caption' id='gallery-1-102527'>\n\t\t\t\tNew chapter for EMPD.\n\t\t\t\t<\/figcaption><\/figure><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/develop.citizen.co.za\/germiston-city-news\/news-headlines\/2015\/10\/19\/taking-back-the-streets-2\/attachment\/img_1567-custom-2\/'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"270\" height=\"203\" src=\"https:\/\/dwu32cgxelq1c.cloudfront.net\/local_newspapers\/sites\/31\/2015\/10\/IMG_1567-Custom-270x203.jpg\" class=\"attachment-thumbnail size-thumbnail\" alt=\"\" aria-describedby=\"gallery-1-102528\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<figcaption class='wp-caption-text gallery-caption' id='gallery-1-102528'>\n\t\t\t\tNew chapter for EMPD.\n\t\t\t\t<\/figcaption><\/figure><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/develop.citizen.co.za\/germiston-city-news\/news-headlines\/2015\/10\/19\/taking-back-the-streets-2\/attachment\/img_1569-custom-2\/'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"270\" height=\"203\" src=\"https:\/\/dwu32cgxelq1c.cloudfront.net\/local_newspapers\/sites\/31\/2015\/10\/IMG_1569-Custom-270x203.jpg\" class=\"attachment-thumbnail size-thumbnail\" alt=\"\" aria-describedby=\"gallery-1-102529\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<figcaption class='wp-caption-text gallery-caption' id='gallery-1-102529'>\n\t\t\t\tNew chapter for EMPD.\n\t\t\t\t<\/figcaption><\/figure><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/develop.citizen.co.za\/germiston-city-news\/news-headlines\/2015\/10\/19\/taking-back-the-streets-2\/attachment\/img_1576-custom-2\/'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"270\" height=\"203\" src=\"https:\/\/dwu32cgxelq1c.cloudfront.net\/local_newspapers\/sites\/31\/2015\/10\/IMG_1576-Custom-270x203.jpg\" class=\"attachment-thumbnail size-thumbnail\" alt=\"\" aria-describedby=\"gallery-1-102530\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<figcaption class='wp-caption-text gallery-caption' id='gallery-1-102530'>\n\t\t\t\tNew chapter for EMPD.\n\t\t\t\t<\/figcaption><\/figure><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/develop.citizen.co.za\/germiston-city-news\/news-headlines\/2015\/10\/19\/taking-back-the-streets-2\/attachment\/img_1581-custom-2\/'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"270\" height=\"203\" src=\"https:\/\/dwu32cgxelq1c.cloudfront.net\/local_newspapers\/sites\/31\/2015\/10\/IMG_1581-Custom-270x203.jpg\" class=\"attachment-thumbnail size-thumbnail\" alt=\"\" aria-describedby=\"gallery-1-102531\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<figcaption class='wp-caption-text gallery-caption' id='gallery-1-102531'>\n\t\t\t\tNew chapter for EMPD.\n\t\t\t\t<\/figcaption><\/figure><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/develop.citizen.co.za\/germiston-city-news\/news-headlines\/2015\/10\/19\/taking-back-the-streets-2\/attachment\/img_3140-custom\/'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"270\" height=\"203\" src=\"https:\/\/dwu32cgxelq1c.cloudfront.net\/local_newspapers\/sites\/31\/2015\/10\/IMG_3140-Custom-270x203.jpg\" class=\"attachment-thumbnail size-thumbnail\" alt=\"\" aria-describedby=\"gallery-1-102532\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<figcaption class='wp-caption-text gallery-caption' id='gallery-1-102532'>\n\t\t\t\tNew chapter for EMPD.\n\t\t\t\t<\/figcaption><\/figure><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/develop.citizen.co.za\/germiston-city-news\/news-headlines\/2015\/10\/19\/taking-back-the-streets-2\/attachment\/img_3144-custom\/'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"270\" height=\"203\" src=\"https:\/\/dwu32cgxelq1c.cloudfront.net\/local_newspapers\/sites\/31\/2015\/10\/IMG_3144-Custom-270x203.jpg\" class=\"attachment-thumbnail size-thumbnail\" alt=\"\" aria-describedby=\"gallery-1-102533\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<figcaption class='wp-caption-text gallery-caption' id='gallery-1-102533'>\n\t\t\t\tNew chapter for EMPD.\n\t\t\t\t<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n<\/p><div class=\"stream-item stream-item-below-post-content\">\n<div class='tenancy_slot tenancy_slot_1 jannah_ad' style='display: none;' data-query-id='42a27dde83690689a9a02c6f0a754b02'><\/div>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Meet the new man in charge.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":557,"featured_media":102523,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"hasGravity":false,"cxt_article_byline":"Leigh Hodgson","cxt_disable_google_ads":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[8515,2],"tags":[8767,8297,1012,1003,988,1106,979,969,2730,1002,1004],"class_list":["post-102522","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-local-municipal-news","category-news-headlines","tag-chief-of-police","tag-community-2","tag-east-rand","tag-ekurhuleni","tag-empd","tag-gcn","tag-germiston","tag-germiston-city-news","tag-leigh-hodgson","tag-metro","tag-municipality"],"amp_enabled":true,"category_labels":{"Category":"News","SubCategory":"Municipal"},"tag_labels":["Chief of police","community","East Rand","Ekurhuleni","empd","GCN","germiston","germiston city news","Leigh 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