A politician from the Cape Coloured Congress has been photographed smiling with an alleged gang leader in Elsies River.
Claudine Coleridge, who is a candidate for Leonsdale ward councillor in the upcoming elections, wore a Cape Coloured Congress T-shirt while standing with five men, who are alleged to be skollies.
One of the men has been identified as the alleged leader of the Terrible Josters in Leonsdale.
CCC chairperson Fadiel Adams confirmed Coleridge was snapped with gangsters but says she was forced to smile and pose for her safety.
“She works with everyone, she feeds thousands of people everyday,” he says.
“And she is working in a dangerous place, if the police are not there to help her, she will take any other form of protection she can get.
“At times we ask law enforcement to help us for a few hours and that doesn’t happen.”
Adams says they campaign everywhere, even where gangsters are present.
“We sometimes go to them and ask them to stop the violence so we can have peace.
“We are about to call for a peace summit and we would like the gang leaders to join us in finding a solution to the violence across the Cape Flats.”
He advised people who are circulating the picture to focus on the positive that Coleridge is doing in her community.
“Every day she has a pot which feeds the needy in her area and part of the needy are gang member’s relatives.
“The people who sent the picture to you must stop being petty,” he says.
“Claudine carries 120 litres of food to the people, but they are not sending that picture.
“How about they send pictures of the snaking line of her feeding programme.”
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