“You don’t wear your pants first and then put your underwear on top. You follow the process for you to look nice, and for us to achieve our targets, we need to follow the process to the fullest.”
These were the words of the Provincial Commissioner of KwaZulu-Natal, Lieutenant General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi, during the Strategic Planning Session on Thursday.
Mkhwanazi said these words as dueing the last day of a three-day session which kicked off with a Provincial Management Forum (PMF) on Tuesday, and a Quarterly Performance Review Session on Wednesday.
“When I came into the province in 2021, we set three main targets for ourselves. We said we wanted to reduce crime, we had our aims set on attaining a clean audit and, lastly, we wanted to ensure that our clients are satisfied with our services. The 2021 riots affected our plans because we had to redirect our resources to deal with the crisis.
“That was followed by the Local Government Elections, after which we had to deal with the disaster as a result of flooding in 2022. From there, the province stabilised somewhat and we could focus on our key priorities. Today, the crime picture, in comparison with 2021, shows signs of improvement and we can still do a lot more,” he said.
Mkhwanazi further said the internal audit report shows that they are on the right trajectory towards the realisation of a clean audit.
“It is your responsibility as managers to understand qualified and unqualified audits, disclaimers and clean audits. These audits show how we are using public funds and we must be accountable. Every single cent must go where it is supposed to. Lastly, numbers may show a reduction in crime and we may achieve a clean audit, but what remains is how our clients, who are community members, view us.
“If the communities we serve are not happy with our work, if they do not trust us and if they are still reluctant to partner with us to fight crime, then we still have a long way to go. We are happy that people out there appreciate the direction we have taken of Station Commanders holding community meetings every month to account on crime and provide feedback on major cases, as well as addressing developing crime trends,” said Mkhwanazi as he invited attendees to engage in robust discussion in the development of an Annual Operational Plan.
In attendance at the Strategic Planning Session were Deputy Provincial Commissioners, District Commissioners, Provincial Heads, Provincial Commanders, MIC officials from all levels, labour unions, Community Policing Forums and Youth Crime structures.