Durban — KwaZulu-Natal Premier Nomusa Dube-Ncube said that collaborative efforts to fight crime in the province yielded tangible results.
Dube-Ncube was referring to the R70 million drug bust at the Durban Harbour on Wednesday.
National police spokesperson Brigadier Athlenda Mathe said that an intelligence-driven operation, led by members of the South African Police Service (SAPS) Durban Harbour and members of the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (DPCI-Hawks) in KZN, led to a drug bust of cocaine worth R70 million.
“For the past month, SAPS Durban harbour members have been monitoring and keeping surveillance on a vessel that was making its way to South Africa from Brazil,” Mathe said.
She said that prior to the vessel arriving at the Port of Durban, members intercepted the identified vessel and mobilised various units and resources to conduct a search and seizure operation on the identified containers.
“Today (Wednesday), a multidisciplinary operation was conducted, and 20 litre paint containers were seized. Inside, police found 200 blocks of cocaine worth R70 million,” Mathe said.
Reacting to the bust, Dube-Ncube said it is only through the collaborative efforts of all social partners that more successes will be achieved in the ongoing battle against crime and criminality in KZN.
“We commend the South African Police Service (SAPS) and other role-players for the painstaking and meticulous work they put in towards this breakthrough. This operation undoubtedly makes our province and the city of Durban safer places for all residents and sends a powerful message that criminal activities will not be tolerated,” Dube-Ncube said.
“We know that drugs do not only destroy the lives of drug users and their families but wreak havoc in our communities. As it is, we are deeply concerned with the mushrooming of ruthless crime kingpins in our townships, for whom the lives of fellow human beings are worth nothing. In order to silence the guns in our townships and our suburbs, we need to mount a ruthless offensive against drugs and drug trafficking.”
Dube-Ncube said that the fight against crime cannot be left to the government or the police alone but should be a concern for all citizens.
“Crime is one of the biggest threats against the democratic state, which is founded on the Constitution. Every act of criminality is undermining our hard-won freedom. All of us must rise to protect this democracy. Critically, all of us must rise to protect those who lead the fight against crime, including SAPS members, members of Community Policing Forums (CPFs), neighbourhood watch formations, as well as private citizens,” Dube-Ncube continued.
Last month, Dube-Ncube engaged with various stakeholders and social partners, including the business sector, political leaders, and the police, to recalibrate ways to deal with crime, including the killing of community leaders as well.
“We are working together with national, provincial and local government stakeholders to ensure seamlessness and integration in efforts to fight crime. We are confident that, as we toppled the apartheid government, we will, working together, end crime in our province,” Dube-Ncube said.
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