Media release: BACSA supports SAPS task teams
POSTED ON: July 6, 2022 IN by Admin
To date, 39 cases have been reported on the BACSA information-sharing site.
Recently the Deputy Provincial Commissioner for Policing, Major General Phumelele Makoba, officially launched the specialised multi-disciplinary Economic Infrastructure Task Teams (EITTs) in KwaZulu-Natal.
The task teams will focus on the following areas to address the scourge of economic infrastructure related crimes:
• non-Ferrous metal theft (e.g. copper cable theft);
• essential infrastructure crimes (e.g. tampering, damaging or destroying of infrastructure related to energy, transport, water, sanitation and communication services);
• critical infrastructure crimes (e.g. pipeline fuel theft);
• extortion at construction and or economic sites; and
• the combating of illegal mining and illicit trafficking.
Three teams were formed that will be dealing with these crimes and they will be based in the eThekwini, uMgungundlovu and King Cetshwayo Districts where these crimes are most prevalent.
“The recent crime statistics painted a grim picture of how crimes that affect business operations have increased significantly. We as Business Leadership South Africa and Business Against Crime South Africa (BACSA) are extremely excited about these task teams. They will help make South Africa good for business, which will lead to business being good for South Africa,” says Ms Tebele Luthuli, BACSA managing director.
Luthuli says that to date EITTs have been set up in two of the nine provinces, the Western Cape and KwaZulu-Natal and BACSA looks forward to supporting the remaining provinces once they have set up their task teams.
The launch of EITTs follows the announcement made by President Cyril Ramaphosa at the State of the Nation Address on 10 February 2022 regarding how the ongoing damage to and the theft of economic infrastructure has damaged confidence and severely constrained economic growth, investment and job creation. President Ramaphosa said that criminal gangs that invade construction sites and other business places to extort money from companies need to be confronted. This requires a focused and coordinated response.
In June 2021 BACSA created an information-sharing site where crimes involving extortion can be reported. This platform creates a database of cases to pursue progress with the Provincial Task Teams. It also assists operationally, as BACSA personnel receive messages when a new incident is logged. Members of the public and business owners still need to report their cases to the SAPS.
To date, 39 cases have been reported on the BACSA information-sharing site. To report extortion, a user account is required so that the person can view and update the reported incidents. Click here to create a user account and report extortion: https://e2.bac.org.za/
[Ends]
For media requests contact BLSA Internal and Media Relations manager Tumelo Muteme on 076 538 8502 or tmuteme@businessleadership.org.za
Have your say.
Share your opinion
