One of the Public Order Policing Units minibuses
A 24-hour National Joint Operational and Intelligence Structure (NATJOINTS) Coordination Centre (NCC) was officially opened at the SAPS Tshwane Academy in Pretoria on Friday.
The official opening was led by the Minister of Police, General Bheki Cele who was joined by the Minister of Home Affairs, Dr Aaron Motsoaledi, The Minister of DSD, Ms Lindiwe Zulu and the Deputy Minister of Police, Mr Cassel Mathale.
The National Joint Operational and Intelligence Structure (known as NATJOINTS”) is the operational arm of the Justice Crime Prevention and Security Cluster (JCPS) and serves as a nodal point for information sharing and the coordination of swift and prompt responses in respect to matters relating to the management of national security.
The new centre which lies at the SAPS largest training Academy, is equipped with the state of the art modern technology which links up with all nine Provincial Joint structures to provide real-time monitoring and response to incidents.
It accommodates officials from 39 government departments, agencies, state owned enterprises, and private sector stakeholders thereby ensuring a collective and coordinated response to incidents.
During his welcoming address, the National Commissioner of the SAPS, General Fannie Masemola announced the handing over of vehicles to various specialised operations units of the SAPS ahead of the elections.
These units include our Tactical Response Teams (TRT), National Intervention Unit (NIU), Public Order Policing Unit (POP), the Special Task Force, Crime Intelligence, Detectives.
A total of 78 vehicles were handed over to the Illicit Mining task teams also known as Operation Vala Umgodi which has since its inception in December 2023 resulted in the arrest of more than 6000 suspects including seizure of uncut diamonds worth R32 million.
Public Order Policing Units also received 52 minibuses. These units are key role players in responding to large gatherings and protests
On behalf of the Natjoints co-chairs inclusive of SANDF and SSA, Lieutenant General Tebello Mosikili reiterated the importance of collaboration and corporation between departments, agencies and other crime fighting partnerships in ensuring a successful operationalisation of the NCC, jointly addressing incidents in the country.
During his keynote address, the Minister of Police, General Cele said that the NCC is fit for purpose.
“There is no doubt that this fit for purpose facility will remain conducive to the effective functioning of the NATJOINTS and effectively the security Cluster as a whole.
This will benefit citizens of this country who can be assured that the NATJOINTS remains committed to service and protect law-abiding citizens and all those who live within our borders,” General Bheki concluded.
The NCC is in place to monitor the security situation on the ground throughout the country, proactively and reactively to ensure the elections take place under a safe and secure environment to enable South Africans to cast their votes without any fear.
Post-election, the NCC will continue to be utilised on a 24/7 and 365 basis as the main centre for NATJOINTS inter-departmental and inter-governmental activities and operations.