The portfolio committee on police has raised concerns about the 189 illegal taverns that it has identified in Tembisa. On Sunday, the committee concluded its two-day oversight visit in Gauteng to assess the fight against crime in the province.

Committee chairperson Tina Joemat- Pettersson said they were troubled by the high concentration of liquor outlets in Tembisa which, she said, contribute significantly to the crime challenges in the area.  

"The committee has urged the Gauteng Liquor Board to review its processes for issuing licences for taverns and shebeens primarily because substance abuse is one of the causal factors to the high crime rate in the area. 

  "We are also greatly concerned by the prevalence of illegal shebeens in the area and by the police report that in the period between April and December 2021, they had closed 463 illegal shebeens," Joemat-Pettersson said.  

She said the of the provincial stakeholders such as the Community Policing Forums, Metro police, the department of social development and the SAPS is necessary to deal with the challenge of substance abuse.

"To fight crime effectively, the committee has urged the SAPS to focus on intelligence-led policing to ensure that acts of crime are pre-empted. The collaborative efforts between the police, the community and community policing forums, is also of critical importance," she said. 

Joemat-Pettersson said they fully support Operation Okae Molao which the committee considers as a critical pillar in confiscating illegal firearms from the streets and arrest of criminals from the streets.

"The committee has decided to put both Norwood and Tembisa police stations in its spotlight and will request periodic reports from them on crime-fighting in the areas," Joemat-Petterssom said.