Belhar, Cape Town

MEC for Police Oversight and Community Safety, Ms Anroux Marais
Deputy National Commissioner and NatJOINTS Co-Chair, Lt General Tebello Mosikili
Western Provincial Commissioner, Lt General Patekile
Senior SANDF officials
Senior SAPS officials
City of Cape Town’s Acting Commissioner, Christopher Jones
Leadership of the Community Policing Forum
Members on Parade
Members of the Media

Good Morning!

On behalf of the management of the SAPS in the Western Cape, I take this opportunity to welcome our MEC for Police Oversight and Community Safety, Ms. Anroux Marais for gracing this occasion and always being the wind beneath our wings. Our NatJoints Co-chair Lt. Gen Mosikili, who is the driver of this deployment with Lt General Sangweni. Senior officers from the South African Defence Force (Brigadiers General Gopane and Maile). Acting Commissioner Christopher Jones and all officials from the City of Cape Town Municipality are acknowledged. Our partners in the fight against crime, the Community Policing Forum, led by Mrs. Francinah Lukas and the Provincial board as well as scores of community members. Today, marks the beginning of a significant collaboration in our quest to create safer Western Cape communities. Looking at the parade in front of me and knowing the preparations they went through logistically and tactically, I am confident that Operation Prosper will yield the desired results. Experience has taught us that with more boots on the ground crime is reduced. However, every endeavour must be made to ensure that the underlying factors that enable gang violence and its manifestations to thrive, must be dealt with decisively.

It is my hope that with all spheres of government embracing this deployment, the challenges that confront gang-infested communities, will also be addressed. To the members on parade, you know what is expected of you having undergone the necessary briefing and induction. Mrs. Lukas through you and the multitudes of Western Cape communities, I urge you to embrace these members as their presence in local communities is solely to create safety.

With those few words I welcome you all to this parade of Operation Prosper.

Thank you.