REPORT ON JOINT ISS/UNISA SEMINAR

This report details a panel discussion held on 26 March 2009 at the University of South Africa (UNISA) in Pretoria, co-hosted by the Institute for Security Studies (ISS), UNISA, and The Weekender. The seminar focused on the crime and criminal justice system (CJS) proposals within the election manifestos of four major South African political parties: the African National Congress (ANC), the Democratic Alliance (DA), the Congress of the People (COPE), and the United Democratic Movement (UDM).

• The African National Congress (ANC) intended to continue existing crime reduction and prevention strategies, specifically referencing the National Crime Prevention Strategy (NCPS), although the document notes this strategy had not yet been implemented. Mr. Malusi Gigaba acknowledged that the Criminal Justice System (CJS) was "flawed" and required "modernisation," including a process of continuous evaluation.
• The Congress of the People (COPE) proposed focusing on the implementation of the NCPS and professionalising the public service to combat corruption and partisan appointments in the CJS. To address police skill shortages and keep youth off the streets, COPE suggested introducing "Youth Cadets" to handle administrative tasks, allowing police to return to being "the bobby on the beat."
• The Democratic Alliance (DA) advocated for the CJS to be informed by international models and proposed increasing the number of detectives by 35,000 and the total SAPS staff to 250,000. The DA reported that its efforts in the City of Cape Town reduced the crime rate in the central business district by 90 per cent.
• The United Democratic Movement (UDM) proposed using the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) to assist the SAPS with roadblocks and managing the "influx" of illegal immigrants. Additionally, the UDM expressed the intention to hold a referendum on the death penalty.
• Analysis from Professor Dirk Kotzé and Mr. Prince Mashele indicated that while all parties emphasized the need for more police, there was little significant difference between their manifestos regarding the CJS. Professor Kotzé noted that all parties except the ANC expressed concern over the dissolution of the Scorpions, and Mr. Mashele observed that no party's manifesto significantly addressed the social causes of crime.

APA

Institute for Security Studies (2009). REPORT ON JOINT ISS/UNISA SEMINAR. https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/CRIMEMANIFESTREP.PDF

Chicago

Institute for Security Studies. REPORT ON JOINT ISS/UNISA SEMINAR. 2009. https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/CRIMEMANIFESTREP.PDF.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Institute for Security Studies |title=REPORT ON JOINT ISS/UNISA SEMINAR |date=26 March 2009 |url=https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/CRIMEMANIFESTREP.PDF |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{instituteforsecuritystudies2009report, author = {{Institute for Security Studies}}, title = {{REPORT ON JOINT ISS/UNISA SEMINAR}}, institution = {Institute for Security Studies}, year = {2009}, month = mar, url = {https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/CRIMEMANIFESTREP.PDF}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }