Western Cape minister of police oversight and community safety, Anroux Marais warmly welcomes us into her impressive fifth-floor office in the Cape Town CBD.
With breathtaking views of Table Mountain and Lion's Head, the newly appointed minister — a title the Western Cape uses interchangeably with MEC — sets a gracious tone for our conversation.
As we begin, Marais shares a personal anecdote, revealing the unique origin of her name, Anroux, which combines her grandmother's name and surname, dispelling any assumptions of French heritage.
“My name is not French; my grandma’s name was Anna, and her surname was Roux, so my mom put it together,” she said.
“And then my grandfather on my dad's side was very cross because he said my mom messed up the family name. But it was fine eventually.”
She also amused us about her cat, named Cat. “The cat came with my mom. She lived with me for five years and it was a stray cat that she looked after. So, I brought my mom and the cat from Bloemfontein,” she said.
However, amid the warm hospitality and stunning views, a pressing reality looms large — the province is grappling with a myriad of entrenched challenges. Business extortions, drug-related crimes, gangsterism and an alarmingly high murder rate have become pervasive scourges, casting a long shadow over the province.
As our conversation progresses, the tone shifts into a more sombre and serious gear.
Marais’ expression turns resolute, and her words take on a sense of urgency as she delves into the complexities of her portfolio and the strategies she plans to employ.
Marais, who grew up in Bloemfontein, was an occupational therapist.
“I also went to the army,” she said. “I worked with head injuries and children integration ... and psychiatry. I also did paraplegics, but love psychology.”
She became involved in politics when she got bored of her job in the army. Marais was a DA councillor in the City of Cape Town before she became a backbencher in the Western Cape legislature.
“I really enjoyed being a backbencher,” she said.
“I have been a backbencher for 14 years in the legislature. When we were in opposition, I sat in the local government, social development, health, sports and culture and safety committees. Later, I became the chairperson of social development and health.”
In 2015, Marais became an MEC for cultural affairs and sports after a cabinet reshuffle. She then served a full term in the last administration. “So, this is a totally new challenge,” she said.
“It is very daunting, I must tell you. We get homicide statistics every week. We don’t have our own research unit. But with that, we can see where we need more resources.”
She said she wants to visit the province’s 152 police stations within 18 months. “Our police officers are not bad, but they don’t have enough boots on the ground,” she said.
She was optimistic relations between her office and the police would improve after the appointment of Senzo Mchunu's appointment as police minister. The DA and the Western Cape government have been calling for the devolution of policing powers.
“I asked him for the 12% of police officers who should be allocated to the Western Cape, according to the recent census,” said Marais. “We will see if we are going to get that. The devolution of power is not off the table. It is a tightrope, but things are different with the government of national unity. We must have a mutual understanding and see how we can get a devolution of power in the Western Cape. If Mchunu says we can have the devolution of power tomorrow, we must be ready.”
She said one key weapon in her crime-fighting kit is police morale. Marais said she had addressed the business extortion scourge with the top police echelons in the province.
“I want to look at the morale of our police officers because I think that is one area that gets overlooked, and if the morale of our officers is high, the output of their work will also be good,” she said.
“On extortion, I spoke with Lt-Gen Thembisile Patekile and he said they have a plan but that it is too sensitive and they cannot share it with us. But my oversight is to see if there is a plan and whether there are any successes. This is a difficult one because gangs are so embedded in all our communities.”
We will also work closely with the departments of social development, economic development and sports and culture. Always, when the Stormers play, there is no crime on that Saturday. Everything goes quiet on the Cape Flats. I don’t have the stats to prove, but it is interesting.
— Anroux Marais
She said extortion ranges from construction — which is high level — to spaza shops, business extortion and people selling fruit. “There is a granny in Khayelitsha who sells fruit, and they want money from her. She pays it because they want to kill her,” she said.
“We are going to give evidence-based data to the police. We have our LEAP (Law Enforcement Advancement Plan) officers. The relationship between the provincial government, the national government and the city is better now. We all want crime to come down.”
She said crime statistics should be released regularly for strategic planning. Marais said her office will also focus on illegal firearms. “My predecessor asked for a firearm destruction unit in the Western Cape,” she said.
“I see that domestic violence cases are liquor-related. So, working with the liquor board, we will see how we will regulate (alcohol).”
Marias said she would also engage the new correctional services minister to ensure that convicted gangsters are prevented from committing crime from behind bars. She mentioned prisoners’ access to cellphones and other contraband. Marais said the province also wants access to parolees’ names.
“We will also work closely with the departments of social development, economic development and sports and culture. Always, when the Stormers play, there is no crime on that Saturday. Everything goes quiet on the Cape Flats. I don’t have the stats to prove it, but it is interesting.”
As part of crime-fighting initiatives, Marias said she works with neighbourhood watch committees, community policing forums, LEAP and rural safety units, whom she said are important stakeholders that should not be left out.
TimesLIVE
Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.