Blog – Safety through Environmental Design

In a series of webinars on the 7th and 8th of June, we drew from the existing evidence, experience and expertise of the civil society, academia and government sector in the prevention of violence and discussed how this could be utilised for the evidence-based implementation of the most relevant South African safety policy frameworks.

In a recent study, U-turn, Khulisa Streetscapes and MES calculated the cost of homelessness in Cape Town and found that currently over R744 million is spent on this societal challenge, with a significant R286 million being spent on criminal justice costs alone.

Local government, the closest interface between government and communities, is a key driver of quality service delivery including the promotion of community safety. The Constitution demands that services and functions that have the most developmental impact on citizens should be performed by local government.

In response to the Covid-19 crisis, South Africa has had one of the strictest lockdowns worldwide, restricting movements significantly and citizens were only allowed to leave home for essential services like shopping and doctors’ visits. Public Spaces are abandoned areas during this time. However, social inequality and the imbalance of opportunities remain apparent - maybe more than ever before.

What we’ve learned through knowledge management within the South African-German development cooperation

The new 2016 White Paper on Safety and Security was adopted by the South African Cabinet earlier this year as a policy on safety, crime and violence prevention that promotes an integrated and holistic approach to safety and security in line with the National Development Plan.