Context
The mobility and quality of life of people as well as their participation in public life and in the sustainable development of the country are closely linked to the topics of security and freedom from violence and crime. In South Africa, the high level of violence is one of the biggest obstacles to the country's development. Although the situation has improved slightly in recent years, the country still occupies a leading position in international violence statistics. Extreme inequality, high unemployment, inadequate access to public services and lack of future prospects, especially for young people, favor the violence in South African society. Added to this are the consequences of socially and spatially segregated urban development during the apartheid era.
Objective
The conditions for creating safe communities, with a particular focus on violence and crime prevention, have improved with the support of the national and regional levels.
Approach
An effective prevention of violence requires the participation of many different areas, such as: social development, youth social work, urban development, educational and police-work and all levels of government. Therefore, the Inclusive Violence and Crime Prevention (VCP) project is pursuing an integrated, holistic, and partner-oriented approach to support violence and crime prevention in South Africa. The project works with the South African Government and relevant civil society actors at national, regional and local levels to improve the implementation of South African security policy on the ground. The project focuses on strengthening the capacity of local governments and civil society to act, especially in the Eastern Cape and Gauteng provinces, with a focus on urban agglomerations. The project operates in three fields of action that complement each other:
-Close the implementation gap. In line with the recommendations of the National Development Plan and the White Paper on Safety and Security, the project supports greater vertical and horizontal cooperation between the levels of government and sector ministries in order to better implement policies at local level. It is crucial to achieve clarity in terms of responsibilities and functions, as well as the use of funds between the three levels of government.
- Connected thinking and acting. The project develops and strengthens platforms for knowledge sharing, networking and cooperation within government, as well as between state and non-state actors. Cooperation between actors at national, provincial and local levels, as well as between different sectors, is promoted in the sense of an integrated approach to violence prevention. This is a key element of the White Paper on Safety and Security.
-Active youth for safe communities. The project strengthens youth-centred approaches and promotes the active participation of young people in the prevention of violence. The focus is on two fields of action: school prevention programs and voluntary work by young people for community safety.
Results
The project has introduced three new support measures for local governments as part of the implementation of the National White Paper on Safety and Security: an introductory training session and a guide for newly elected local councils, informing them about their community security functions and responsibilities. In addition, there is an online tutorial for security professionals, as well as a provincial government-run community officer training program that allows officials to learn how to develop and implement local community participatory security plans. Through training in more than 34 communities, more than 350 civil servants have already been reached. At the same time, 10 communities in the Eastern Cape and Gauteng provinces are being actively supported in developing effective security plans.
Within the framework of policy advice, the topics of violence prevention and urban security were integrated into national urban development policy. In addition, the implementation of corresponding pilot measures for public safety in cities was supported together with partners. In addition, the project promotes a platform for peer-learning and urban lobbying for urban security, managed by the South African Cities Network.
The White Paper on Safety and Security advocates an integrated approach to violence and crime prevention based on well-founded knowledge and evidence and on civil society partnerships. A key action in this context is the online portal Safer Spaces, which is managed by the Civil Police Civil Secretariat, together with an advisory group of government and civil society representatives. The website is the country's premier platform for knowledge sharing and dissemination of best practices in the area of violence and crime prevention. The website is increasingly being used by government institutions, NGOs and other stakeholders. By 2019, 264 practitioners have registered with the site, bringing their respective expertise on relevant issues such as gender-based violence, drug use, gang crime and crime prevention through the design of the environment.
In co-operation with the South African police, youth volunteer contact points at the police stations provide training for young people's qualification and involvement. The training enables young people to actively contribute to change in their neighbourhoods. So far, 140 young volunteers and more than 50 police officers have been trained as mentors at the police stations. As a result, 27 active contact points for youth volunteers in the Gauteng and Eastern Cape provinces have implemented community-based prevention and awareness-raising initiatives. In addition, the Youth for Safer Communities program, developed and implemented in partnership with the Masifunde Learner Development NGO, has enabled more than 8,000 young people at 40 schools in the Nelson Mandela Bay metropolitan community to actively engage in violence prevention activities in their area participate.