Refocus on crime that matters: There are far bigger issues to crack down on than Amaphelas
|Published
BLAZE: Four buses were petrol bombed, three in Nyanga and one in Philippi after operation
Last week’s violence in Nyanga could’ve and should’ve been avoided.
More than R10 million in damage was caused when Golden Arrow buses and government vehicles were set alight.
These were the perfectly predictable consequences of a police operation targeting illegal taxis in the township, especially the sedan taxis known as Amaphelas.
These are usually the big seven-seater cars like Avanzas that operate for short trips in the townships.
Drivers were fined, and vehicles were searched and many impounded.
Now I am not one to go against the law, especially not in a city where crime is as out of hand as it is in Cape Town. But I do think this was a poorly timed and executed operation.
Why are these people being targeted at a time when we are all trying to make ends meet?
Again, I will stress my support for law enforcement generally speaking and I do believe that tackling smaller offences can lead to a better society as a whole.
There is evidence from elsewhere in the world that shows when you tackle grime and petty offences, you eventually start making inroads into the big stuff.
I get the theory, but I am not sure the strategy is a silver bullet that can be applied everywhere.
There is just too much other serious crime happening in our city for this to make any sense to me.
Amaphelas do not affect as big a cross section of our society as say drug dealing, or gangsterism does.
I am pretty sure the threat analysis will bear me out that other crimes are much higher on the priority list.
But let's look at how this operation could’ve been better managed.
Firstly, timing is everything.
We know from experience that an operation like this can easily trigger retaliatory violence. So why was it held during the morning peak to begin with?
My common sense says literally any other time of the day would have minimised the fallout on others.
And since Golden Arrow buses are often targets of violence, why was the company not warned, so that it could at least attempt to protect its drivers, passengers and vehicles?
I know hindsight is a perfect science, but I do believe this is something that could’ve easily been foreseen and planned for.
But also, come now guys, there are men running around with guns and shooting dead innocent people in broad daylight on the Cape Flats.
And you are worried about a few guys making a few bucks running illegal taxis!
What am I missing?