A motion tabled by the FF Plus to prioritise police vehicles for Mpumalanga's police units for domestic violence, child protection and sexual offences was adopted in the Legislature.
These units' functioning, especially those in Mbombela, Ermelo, Acornhoek and Middelburg, is seriously hampered by a shortage of vehicles.
The Mbombela unit, which has been named the best in the province on more than one occasion, has since the beginning of 2022 had only two vehicles with which it must serve five towns.
And at present, the unit must investigate all the cases in the five towns with only one vehicle at its disposal seeing as the second one has mechanical problems.
The MEC for Community Safety, Mr Vusi Shongwe, has confirmed that a budget of R99 million was earmarked for police vehicles for the 2022/23 financial year.
The process of procuring new police vehicles for Mpumalanga is already underway. The new vehicles will be provided to police stations as soon as they are available.
In its motion, the FF Plus asked that the aforementioned units must be prioritised with regard to the allocation of vehicles.
Last year in her State of the Province Address, Mpumalanga's Premier, Ms Refilwe Mtsweni-Tsipane, promised to crack down on violence against women and children.
And yet, two years later, the units that need it the most still do not have the necessary equipment to do so effectively. The FF Plus has been asking for these specialist units' shortage of vehicles to be addressed since 2021.
The FF Plus will continue to act as watchdog for the benefit of all residents, and their right to live and work in a safe environment.