'ONS WAG'

DA MP Nicholas Gotsell said he has written to the Western Cape Police Commissioner to demand a clear timeline and operational plan for the so-called "extraordinary measures" promised by police minister Senzo Mchunu.

Mchunu made the remarks earlier this month when questioned about the violent crime on the Cape Flats in Parliament.

Gotsell said: “The promise was made during a Question-session in the National Council of Provinces (NCOP) [two weeks ago.] 

“In order for the undertaking to garner any credibility, this timeline must include concrete answers on when the Anti-Gang Unit (AGU) will finally have a fixed establishment, a full complement of vehicles and the full complement of resources needed to perform its mandate.”

Gotsell slammed the minister saying that: “The double standard is blinding. And it is an insult to the thousands of families on the Cape Flats who live and die under gang rule.”

During a NCOP meeting Mchunu said that between 1 March 2020 and 31 December 2024, 3 777 gang and/or gang-related murders and 5 463 attempted murders were recorded in the Western Cape.

Gotsell further stated: “That’s more than two murders and nearly four attempted murders per day, overwhelmingly concentrated in the Cape Flats gang zones. Despite this answer, there is still not a word of a threat assessment or urgent prioritisation for these communities.

“The Minister’s vague assurances of “extraordinary measures” holds no water whilst he refuses to say whether [Western Cape police commissioner] Lieutenant-General Thembisile Patekile would be held accountable for his clear failures as Provincial Police Commissioner.

“The Minister’s promise of “extraordinary measures” must now be held to that standard. The DA will continue its oversight relentlessly.”