Cele’s political deceit leaves Cape Town bloody; solutions are simple, kingpins must be eliminated
“For crisis control in an attempt to stop further bloodshed of innocent people, a specialised task force must be brought in with no community ties to target crime bosses and to sweep the region. If it means that blood is shed, it must be that of violent perpetrators haunting these bloody streets. It must be approached like Operation Neptune with abalone poaching, just with different targets,” said Ian Cameron, Director of Community Safety at Action Society.
It’s been a bloody few days in parts of Cape Town that have seen a number of people shot, wounded and killed.
We are yet again calling for specialised units that can deal with serious violent crime effectively to be reinstated, especially areas like Khayelitsha and the Cape Flats region.
Cameron further said crime in Khayelitsha is a disaster. “It is concerning that there has been no 72-hour activation plan announced by Bheki Cele, Minister of Police, following the mass murder on Sunday. It seems you must be politically connected for Cele’s attention.”
“In Cape Town, gang kingpins threatening these communities need to be targeted and taken out of operation. We call on SAPS to restore reservist capabilities, especially to support specialised units. It is of utmost importance that these reservists do not come from the said communities in order for intimidation to be limited.”
Action Society is also calling on Bheki Cele to bring back the anti-gang unit that has basically disbanded.
Over the weekend Khayelitsha saw yet another mass shooting, this time in Ekuphumleni. Three people were killed; two men and a woman believed to be from the same family.
Earlier this month six people were gunned down in the Site C area.
The township has seen a number of mass shootings over the last few months. There have been five mass shootings since the start of the year and at least nine of these shootings since September last year.
Khayelitsha is not the only area where people fell victim to gun violence – in Manenberg, a gang-ridden area, five people were wounded.
Action Society yesterday visited the Khayelitsha area and noted with concern the ongoing violence in Khayelitsha. In fact, while coming from a gender-based violence (GBV) case, police were called out to another crime scene in Site B where a man was shot in the head.
Action Society Media Liaison Officer Kaylynn Palm says crime has gotten out of hand in Khayelitsha and other parts of Cape Town. “It’s worrying to see that in a neighbourhood like Khayelitsha there’s continuous mass murders, and we ask what is being done about the frequent violence in the area. People are living in fear – and yet almost nothing is being done to keep residents safe.”
“We are calling on SAPS to restore crime intelligence capabilities. Since September there have been mass shootings in parts of Khayelitsha and more than 46 people shot. From six people being shot inside their home – to three people being killed in a car, and the list goes on. Where is police intelligence?”
Action Society feels strongly about police devolution being the only solution for policing in the Western Cape. “It would be much better for the safety of citizens who vote for government officials that support community-based policing. This means, they then will not be dependent on a national body that has been tarnished by political interference for years,” said Cameron.
