Director-General Avril Williamson delivered the keynote address at the launch of the fourth edition of the State of Urban Safety in South Africa Report, which is produced by members of the SA Cities Urban Safety Reference Group (USRG).
The event was hosted by the South African Cities Network (SACN), with the support of the GIZ-Inclusive Violence and Crime Prevention Programme.
This report’s core objective is to present, analyse and assess city-level crime trends towards more efficient urban safety institutionalisation, planning, targeted financing and strategy development.
It provides an update on the state of crime and violence in South Africa’s major cities, city practices, as well as the peer-to-peer learning, advocacy and knowledge application activities of USRG members, and follows a comprehensive review of the crime and safety indicator tool.
The Department of Cooperative Governance plays an active role in the Urban Safety Reference Group as a critical enabler of the achievement of urban safety, which cuts across the nine levers of the (IUDF) Integrated Urban Development Framework.
DG Williamson remarked that “addressing inequality can no longer be considered an abstract and long-term ideal. Urban safety is intrinsically a developmental issue, and how we go about addressing it indicates our level of commitment to liveable, safe, resource-efficient cities and towns that are socially integrated, economically inclusive and globally competitive, where residents actively participate in urban life as enshrined in the IUDF”.
The State of Urban Safety in SA Report 2021 is a critical call to action, reinforcing the need to redouble our respective efforts and continue to forge partnerships and be cooperative in how we go about this crucial work.
