A STREET fight between child gangs in Mitchells Plain at the weekend saw three arrested and the community left in disgust.
A video doing the rounds on social media was captured on Saturday in Tafelsig and shows a large group of children throwing stones, while small children and adults stand around cheering, with some even joining in.
Between the vloekery and screaming, the cameraman can be heard saying, “nog heeltyd”, “is net heeltyd”.
The fighting stops when someone sounded the alarm that the cops were coming, shouting, “mapooza” [police].
According to a resident, who wants to remain anonymous, the fight is between three rival gangs over drug turf. They all used to belong to the same group called Spoilt Brats, but are now selling drugs for different merts.
She told the Daily Voice: “The Spoilt Brats have split into different groupings. They are with different merchants.
“They are fighting among each other. Some of them are even related.”
Chairperson of the Tafelsig Neighbourhood Watch, Vernon Fortune, said that the incident is gang-related.
Fortune explained: “Unfortunately the issue at hand in that specific area is that youngsters who grew up together and were part of one gang.
“There was a split and now it is I think three gangs in a matter of three streets that are fighting one another. It is one street fighting the other street.
“There has been an issue with the selling of drugs and stone throwing. Parents have become involved because it is their children.
“It is gang-related and has to do with drugs, which is the core of the problem. Stone-throwing seems to be the new thing on the Cape Flats, it starts with stone-throwing then it escalates to knives then shooting.
“It becomes a problem when one of the children gets hurt, families get involved then the thing escalates very badly.
“As long as we are alive there is hope. We as the community and Neighbourhood Watch have the answer and that is that we need to come together, find a solution and report the perpetrators and crime so that the police can do their work and hope the justice system doesn't fail us.”
Public Relations Officer for the Mitchells Plain Community Police Forum Linda Jones said that Tafelsig is known for stone throwing but is calling on society to step in.
She added: “The fact that adults are involved in this should be addressed seriously because it is continuous.
“Previously SAPS vehicles were stoned then they needed that same van to come when they were in trouble.
“It is time we escalate these behaviours to be punishable and not accepted as the norm because children are being raised so that they can get away with what they are doing and so they become gangsters.
“We need to put our foot down as a society and speak out against this behaviour.”